Danita Reads

Notes on Infinity

by Austin Taylor

coming June 3, 2025

(3.5 / 5)

I received a free review copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions in my review are completely my own.

In Notes on Infinity, we follow Zoe and Jack, Harvard students who make a discovery that could be a cure for aging.

This book was a hard one to rate since I was a little mixed on how I felt about it. On one hand, it was very academic, diving into science that I don’t begin to understand. Even beyond the science, I often felt a bit out of the loop or just missing something. I think part of it might have been the nonlinear timeline, often looking at the past or revisiting things that happened from a different perspective, plus jumps in time in the present timeline. There were parts that were sad and tragic. But, all that said, the book still kept my interest well enough, and it went into some directions that I wasn’t expecting. The fast pace and high stakes of the biotech startup paired well with the ominous feeling I picked up right from the beginning. It was thought-provoking and I found myself conflicted over how I felt about multiple characters as I learned more about them and their motivations. This book was an interesting journey and felt different from other books I’ve been reading.

Love Unmasked

by Becky Dean

coming July 15, 2025

(4 / 5)

I received a free review copy of Love Unmasked from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are completely my own and voluntary.

Evie is on a school trip to Venice, Italy, where she seeks out a secret nighttime club for fans of a popular fantasy book series. Meanwhile, she’s partnered with Gabriel, an antisocial new student, for a school project.

This one was a cute, quick read for me. There wasn’t anything all that surprising about the story, but I wasn’t really expecting it anyway. I liked both of the main characters (Evie and Gabriel) and enjoyed the dynamic between these two very different people. They really brought out a side in each other that helped them both grow. I think it was a great message about building self acceptance, trust, and being more assertive. The romance was a bit of a slow burn but also felt like a natural progression. The other part of the story took place at night, with hidden identities and a secret fan club. This part felt a bit too “over the top” to feel like something that actually exists in the real world, but it was also an interesting idea. There’s a lot of referencing to the fictional fantasy series that Evie is a fan of that I could see maybe losing some readers. Personally, I didn’t try to think too deeply about it and saw it more as a representation of something Evie was really passionate about. Bonus points for the beautiful setting in Venice! This was my second book by author, and I’ll definitely be reading more books by Becky Dean in the future.

April 14, 2025 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Young Adult 0

Out of Air

by Rachel Reiss

coming May 13, 2025

(3.5 / 5)

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for the free review copy of Out of Air! All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and voluntary.

Five scuba diving friends make a huge discovery while on a trip to Australia, but maybe some things are best left alone.

Out of Air brings us to the underwater world of scuba diving, which was captivating and different. There were some great descriptions of the diving experience and the sea life the characters encountered. The book had an eerie and mysterious atmosphere to it that also took on more of a horror feel as the story progressed. We’re actually following 2 different points in time: present day where the group discovers an underwater cave, and about 6 months prior when they made a different discovery. It was interesting how it all interconnected. I did sometimes feel like the main character, Phoebe, didn’t react to certain things in a way that matched the circumstances, which felt a bit off to me. The horror elements weren’t something I enjoyed a ton, but admittedly it’s not a genre I usually read. I felt like a lot of the questions I had weren’t answered by the end, though I suppose that adds to the intrigue and mystery of it all.

April 5, 2025 by danimae1981 Fiction Horror Kindle Thriller Young Adult 0

Friends with Benefits

by Marisa Kanter

coming May 6, 2025

(3 / 5)

Thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley for the complimentary copy of Friends with Benefits; all opinions are completely my own.

Evie and Theo are best friends who enter a marriage of convenience so that Evie can have health insurance coverage and Theo can keep his apartment.

While this book was a romance, it had a sad undertone and dived into some very heavy topics such as chronic illness, parental issues, and death of a parent. I appreciate the difficulty of these experiences, but I think it got to be a bit much for me at times. The story seemed to move pretty slowly, and there’s a lot of repetition and revisiting past events. I found it frustrating how much the main characters were denying their feelings… for best friends, they seemed to avoid talking about things a lot. This was by no means a bad book, but I think it turned out to not quite be the right book for me, or at least not the light read I was expecting.

April 1, 2025 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle New Adult Romance 0

The Thrashers

by Julie Soto

coming May 6, 2025

(4 / 5)

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Wednesday Books for the free review copy of The Thrashers through NetGalley. All opinions are completely my own.

A group of popular teens find themselves under the scrutiny of law enforcement after a classmate dies of suicide.

This book was a wild ride where I was never quite sure what would happen next. I think the more I read, the more invested I became in the story. There were many intense moments that kept me on the edge of my seat as well as a strong sense of mystery about what really happened to Emily leading up to her death. I was able to predict some aspects of it, but was never quite sure until everything was revealed. The paranormal elements added an extra layer that seemed to make the story even more interesting. Most (if not all) of the characters were flawed in some way, and I found myself often wondering who could even be trusted. I thought some of the parents in the book were especially appalling. I found Jodi, the main character, to be relatable in a lot of ways, as she often feels like a bit of an outsider in the popular friend group, The Thrashers. I was happy to see some of the characters grow and evolve over the course of the story. I really enjoyed reading this book and look forward to exploring more of Julie Soto’s work.

March 29, 2025 by danimae1981 Uncategorized 0

Come As You Are

by Dahlia Adler

coming May 27, 2025

(3.5 / 5)

I received a free review copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press and Wednesday Books through NetGalley. All opinions in my review are voluntary and completely my own.

Evie is a new student at a boarding school, looking for a change after a rough falling-out with people at home. Unfortunately, her new start begins with her being assigned to an all-male dorm building.

This book was a quick, cute read, though I’m definitely older than the target audience. It had teen angst and high school drama that was sometimes hard for me to relate to, especially when it felt like there was hardly any adult supervision. We follow Evie, who strikes an unlikely friendship with Salem. I enjoyed the relationship between the two, which had a lot of fun banter. I wasn’t really a fan of Evie trying to change her image and the rule-breaking that was involved, though I think the ultimate message from her journey is a positive one.

March 24, 2025 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Young Adult 0

Sunrise on the Reaping

by Suzanne Collins

(5 / 5)

Sunrise on the Reaping was a worthy addition to one of my all-time favorite book series. Rather than reading the book quickly, I found myself taking it slow, wanting time to process and take it all in. I was delighted by all ways it tied in with both the original Hunger Games trilogy and The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. It was a bridge between the books that I didn’t even know I needed. Anyone familiar with the series goes into this book with a good idea of how it’ll end, but that doesn’t take away from the impact it had. There’s some important messages here that were really thought-provoking.

March 21, 2025 by danimae1981 Fiction Hardcover Sci-Fi Young Adult 0

The Friendship Fling

by Georgia Stone

coming June 3, 2025

(4 / 5)

I received a free review copy of this book through NetGalley. All opinions are completely my own. Thank you to Harper Perennial for the opportunity.

Two very different people meet at a coffee shop and form a friendship of convenience for the summer. Neither is looking for a relationship, but can they manage to stay just friends?

This was a fun story following Ava, a barista who is not much into socializing, and Finn, a cheerful talkative person who never stays in one country for very long. These two characters had such different personalities, but they complemented each other well and were both likable in their own ways. I really enjoyed the banter between the two, making me literally laugh out loud. The two spend the summer completing bucket list items around London, which was fun to experience with them. Despite the playfulness of the story, it also dived into some more serious issues that the characters had to work through. I feel like the biggest character development takes place toward the end of the book, but I was happy with the direction things went. While the book didn’t necessarily offer anything profoundly different or surprising, the book kept my interest, and I was able to read it pretty quickly. It was a nice escape!

March 18, 2025 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance Women's Fiction 0

Wandering Wild

by Lynette Noni

coming May 20, 2025

(4.5 / 5)

I received a free review copy of this book through NetGalley, but all opinions are completely my own. Thank you to Blackstone Publishing for the opportunity!

Xander is a teenage actor who needs to improve his public image after a car accident involving a DUI. To help, he goes on a survivalist show with a fan. But there’s a problem – Charlie ends up on the show with him, but she is most definitely NOT a fan.

I was excited to get an ARC of this book since I really enjoyed the author’s The Prison Healer series. While this story is quite different from the fantasy series, I really enjoyed it. There are some aspects of the story that are obviously stretches of reality to increase the drama, but I enjoyed reading the authors comments about this at the end of the book.

At first the book felt a little slow while the characters and their situations were being introduced. There were a lot of references to events in the past that were vague, so we don’t find out the actual details until much later. That said, I managed to puzzle some of it together with the clues that were dropped, and it gave the opportunity to learn things when the characters reveal them to each other.

I genuinely liked both of the main characters. They were likable and had depth to them, plus the chemistry between them worked well. I could really feel their emotions throughout the book. I enjoyed the variety of side characters as well, though some of the adults had me pretty frustrated with them at certain points.

Once things got moving, this book had a lot of intensity to it in multiple ways. The characters are in a survivalist show, so that introduced adventure and exhilarating experiences along with the fear when things don’t go as planned. But almost equally, there was an intensity in a mental aspect as well, with both main characters dealing with past events and the associated grief. The story really kept me on the edge of my seat and I had such a hard time putting the book down.

March 15, 2025 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance Young Adult 0

Not Safe for Work

by Nisha J. Tuli

coming May 20, 2025

(4 / 5)

I had the opportunity to read a free advance review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Tris is an engineer who has been selected to go on a company retreat to Hawaii for a chance to advance her career. Unfortunately, her biggest rival in the office, Rafe, is also attending.

Not Safe for Work was an enjoyable read that kept me interested until the end. We follow Tris, who is a woman of color working in a male-dominated industry. It really dives into some toxic workplace behavior that can be pretty eye-opening. I enjoyed the enemies-to-lovers romance that develops, even though some aspects of the situation seemed a bit hard to believe (coworkers forced to share a room with one bed). The fighting between them felt a little unprofessional at first, but I enjoyed the characters getting to know each other better as the story progressed. It’s a bit of a slow burn for a while, but it eventually turns up the heat. Plot-wise there wasn’t anything all that surprising and things pretty much went the way I expected them to, but it was still a fun escape.

March 12, 2025 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance 0