Danita Reads

Miss Matched

By Wendy Million

Coming Soon on June 13, 2023

(3.5 / 5)

I had the opportunity to read a free advanced review copy of this book through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Keep in mind that the published version will have been edited from the advanced version I read.

Miss Matched is a 2nd chance romance that alternates between the points of view of the two main characters, Tayla and Simon. The premise: about six years ago, the two had a bad breakup after dating for a couple years. You can imagine Tayla’s shock when she uses an expensive dating service to find her soulmate, only to be matched with Simon.

Overall, this book was a fairly quick read that flowed well, but there were certain aspects of the story that just didn’t seem very believable, which is why I didn’t like it as much as I could have. From the beginning, the dating service seemed like a bit of a farse. Only women can use it, and it costs as much as a down payment on a house? Over the course of the book, we learn other shady things about the company, yet somehow all of this has managed to stay quiet for years? I also found the full story about Tayla and Simon’s original breakup, which is revealed gradually, seemed a bit too uncharacteristic for a couple who was supposedly so close.

I honestly thought Simon was a bit of a jerk, especially at the beginning of the book. He did eventually grow on me more though. One thing I noticed was that the “voice” between Tayla and Simon’s points of view felt too similar, and sometimes I even had to remind myself which character I was following.

Despite my complaints, I found this to be an easy read that kept my attention, and I really enjoyed the ending. While this book didn’t turn out to be a favorite for me, I’d be willing to read more books by this author in the future.

If I Can Give You That

By Michael Gray Bulla

(5 / 5)

First off, I’ll admit that I’m not exactly the intended audience of this book as a 40-something cisgender heterosexual female – but as a mom to a trans/nonbinary child, I enjoy reading books that can help give me a better perspective of their experience. This book is written well, and I really enjoyed reading it. I think it would be a great book for teens to read.

The story follows Gael, a teen boy who is transgender, but I love that there is a whole cast of characters representing different parts of the LGBTQ+ community who have their own stories to share. I found Gael to be a very relatable character, especially since I experience some similar anxieties that he does. I especially found it interesting to follow Gael’s exploration of his sexuality, since I know there can be a lot of stigma about this topic for trans people, even within the LGBTQ+ community. I also think Gael’s perspective was good because it helped me gain a better understanding about gender dysphoria. I enjoyed watching Gael grow considerably over the course of the story in a realistic way.

This book is so much more than just a transgender story though, which gave it a lot of depth. Gael lives with his mom, who struggles with mental illness, and some difficult topics are encountered along the way. It also takes a close look at family bonds, as Gael holds some strong feelings toward his father, who he hardly has any contact with since his parents’ divorce. Plus, there’s all the experiences that many teens face in high school, like planning for the future and submitting college applications.

A special “thank you” to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the free review copy of this book. I really enjoyed reading it, and all opinions expressed in my review are completely my own.

April 18, 2023 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Young Adult 0

All That It Ever Meant

By Blessing Musariri

(5 / 5)

All That It Ever Meant is a complex story that really made me think and almost had a philosophical feel to it. Honestly, when asked to describe the book I was reading, I had to respond that I wasn’t really sure, since it obviously had a deeper meaning that would take reading the whole book to completely understand. At the surface, it was a story about a father and his children on a trip to his homeland, Zimbabwe, several months after the mother died. It is obvious this is a family in mourning and trying to heal after a terrible tragedy.

Mati, the middle child in age (14), is the narrator, but it’s almost as if she’s a fly on the wall, describing what is happening to everyone else while being very passive about herself. Interweaved through the story of the family’s trip in Zimbabwe, Mati seems to struggle with telling the story of her mother, past, and something that happened, bringing up bits and pieces out of order but avoiding the true core of what she’s trying to say. Throughout she is joined by Meticais, someone who can only be seen/heard by her but seems to be a guide helping her process all of this, encouraging her to tell her story.

I’ll admit that at the beginning of the book I felt like I was a bit lost in the swirling mind of a teen, jumping from one thought to the next. But the book kept me reading and thinking as the pieces of this puzzle slowly came together. There were multiple times where I had to stop to process paragraphs that felt especially enlightening, not just for this story but for life in general. Over the course of the story, I had a lot of my own theories about what the core of the story really was – there were lots of hints along the way, but it was hard to put together all the pieces in a way that made sense. In the end, the outcome wasn’t at all what I expected, but it was like finding the missing piece to a puzzle that made it all come together.

This was truly a book you weren’t meant to fully understand until the end, but when you get there, you see it for the masterpiece that it is.

I received a free copy of this book through the Amazon Vine program, but all opinions are my own.

March 8, 2023 by danimae1981 Fiction Hardcover Young Adult 0

The Last City

By H. J. Nelson

(5 / 5)

The Last City is the second book in The Last She series and should be read after the first book. It picks up a few months after the previous book ended and follows the point-of-views of Ara, Kaden, and Sam. I really enjoyed learning more about Sam in this book, who has been living on his own in Boise since recovering from his accident. Meanwhile, Ara and Kaden travel to The Last City, which really brings a dystopian element to the series. Like the first book, The Last City pulled me in from the beginning and kept my attention until the end. I enjoyed continuing the stories of Ara, Kaden and Sam while also meeting some interesting new characters along the way too. We are able to learn more about the mysteries from the first book, while continuing to have action, adventure and romance. Apparently, there’s a 3rd book in the works, so I’m really excited to see where the story goes next!

I received a free review copy of this book through NetGalley, but all opinions expressed here are my own.

March 4, 2023 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Sci-Fi Young Adult 0

The Last She

By H. J. Nelson

(5 / 5)

Post-apocalyptic fiction is one of my favorite genres of books, and The Last She did not disappoint. The book follows the perspectives of Ara (19) and Kaden (21) in a world that was decimated by a disease 3 years prior. I found myself drawn into the story quickly, and it kept my interest through the end. It’s packed with action and adventure, along with romance and an air of mystery. While it doesn’t necessarily end on a cliffhanger, there’s definitely setup for the next book in the series. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

February 23, 2023 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Young Adult 0

Love & Panic

By Raina Ash

(5 / 5)

TW: mental illness, alcoholism, suicidal thoughts

This book pulled me in almost as soon as I started reading it, and I found it very hard to put down. It follows 2 main characters, Natalie and Dean, who are each struggling with mental health and trauma from their past. As someone who has anxiety and has experienced panic attacks, I thought the descriptions were spot-on and realistic. Natalie and Dean end up meeting in an unconventional way, but I loved how they each accepted the other for who they were and didn’t judge. The story was interesting with a lot of ups and downs that kept me invested in the story. I was glad to see a lot of growth in both of the main characters over the course of the story while also being realistic about how these things take a lot of work, time, and sometimes you fall backwards in the process, but that’s okay. The book left me with a feeling of hope and a positive outlook about a topic that often holds a lot of stigma. I really enjoyed the romance aspects of the story as well and found that it came to a satisfying conclusion. There’s a couple steamy scenes, but it’s not excessive. I thoroughly enjoyed this book! A special thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the free copy of the book and the opportunity to provide my honest feedback!

February 17, 2023 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance 0

How You Grow Wings

By Rimma Onoseta

(4 / 5)

TW: Multiple instances of abuse

How You Grow Wings follows 2 sisters, Cheta (17) and Zam (16), who have grown up in an abusive household. Throughout the story both sisters are learning how to live life outside of their parents’ home, but in very different ways: Zam is taken in by her rich aunt and uncle, while Cheta is poor and trying to live on her own. The story mostly takes place in Nigeria, and the book immerses you in the languages, culture and obstacles in that country. The book really dives into and explores a lot of difficult topics, such as abuse, sexism, classism, and colonial influences on culture.

A central theme in this book was exploring relationships between people, often relationships that were strained or difficult. It was interesting to watch as multiple characters grew and gained a better understanding of those around them. Zam especially showed a lot of growth over the course of the book.

I’m rating this book 3.5 stars since it didn’t hold my interest as much as I hoped it would, but I think it was just a matter of personal preference – I tend to enjoy faster-paced books with more action. The writing is good so it earns being rounded up to 4 stars.

I received a free copy of this book through the Amazon Vine program. All opinions are my own.

February 17, 2023 by danimae1981 Fiction Hardcover Young Adult 0

Christmas Books!

I haven’t been reading much amidst the craziness of the holidays, but I’m hoping to dive back in soon. As always, I have lots of books on my wishlist so I got a new batch for Christmas. 😍🥰

Have you read any of these books? If so, let me know what you thought about them. What books did you get for the holidays?

December 27, 2022 by danimae1981 General 0

Sugaring Off

By Gillian French

(4 / 5)

Possible TW: Characters in the book recall abuse that happened in their past.

Sugaring Off is a young adult book about a girl named Owl and follows her through her family’s maple syrup season. The book is split into 4 parts, each represented by a different grade of syrup. The book turned out to be far more complex than I expected it to be, exploring a large range of topics that really gave the story depth and some things to learn along the way:

making maple syrup

being hard of hearing/deaf

living in a very rural place

people with Native American heritage

woodland wildlife, in particular a family of foxes

history of abuse

learning to stand up for yourself

The book has a bit of a slow feel to it, which I felt matched the rural setting it was in, and it still kept me engaged and reading for long periods. I ended up reading the whole book over the course of two days. I enjoyed the wonderful descriptions, especially about nature. Along the course of story there’s romance, action and drama, so it was a nice blend.

My biggest complaint about this book is that the author tends to drop the pronouns at the beginnings of sentences, so it affected the flow of the book at times for me. This might just be the author’s writing style, and it certainly didn’t keep me from wanting to continue the book, but some people may be put off by this.

Overall I enjoyed reading this book and glad I gave it a chance. I thought Owl was an interesting character and enjoyed seeing her grow over the course of the story.

I received a free copy of this book through the Amazon Vine program, but all opinions I have provided are my own.

December 4, 2022 by danimae1981 Fiction Hardcover Young Adult 0

The Serpent in Heaven

By Charlaine Harris

(5 / 5)

The Serpent in Heaven is the 4th book in the Gunnie Rose series, which takes place in an alternate history where the United States has fallen and been replaced by multiple smaller countries. While it probably can be read without reading the previous books, I highly recommend reading them first. I really love the mixing of genres in this series: fantasy/magic, western, alternate history, action, mystery, and romance.

Unlike the first 3 books that are from Lizbeth’s perspective, this book follows Felicia, Lizbeth’s younger half-sister. While I initially missed following Lizbeth and Eli, I enjoyed this new perspective, which gave us a lot more insight into Felicia and her background. Since Felicia is around 15 years old, this book has a “younger” feel to it than the previous books, but I don’t think it took away from the story at all. The book is engaging with plenty of action and good flow that kept it hard to put down. I’m hoping this series will continue since I have really enjoyed it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the free review copy of this book. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

November 29, 2022 by danimae1981 Fantasy Fiction Kindle 0