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Love 4 a Walk, Vol. 2

by Nuria Sanguino

coming July 7, 2026

(5 / 5)

Thank you to Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group and NetGalley for providing a free review copy of this book! All opinions are completely my own.

Love 4 a Walk has been one of my favorite WEBTOON series, so I love seeing it in this graphic novel format! Volume 2 includes episodes 15-30 and picks up right where the first volume left off. This series has beautiful artwork that is colorful and inviting. I think Pam and Tyler are really cute together, and I can’t help but root for them. Their interactions can be charmingly awkward while also sprinkling in some flirty moments too. Their different personalities complement each other well. Their pet dogs are a lot of fun too, and I love their silly antics. This volume ends in a bit of a cliffhanger, but it just leaves me excited for the next volume to see where things go next!

A Shore Thing

by Portia MacIntosh

coming January 26, 2026

(4 / 5)

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the free review copy of A Shore Thing! All opinions are completely my own.

A Shore Thing is a romance story that takes on a Reality TV/Survivor theme. As a Survivor fan, I really enjoyed this aspect of it, even though it was pretty different from the show. I found the author’s writing to be very readable and inviting. Even though the book was shorter than most books I read, it still felt complete. I wasn’t all that surprised about some of the things that happened, and I thought the end conflict was resolved easier than expected, but those things didn’t really take away from my enjoyment of the story. While I didn’t always love how the MMC acted, I felt like his character improved, and I was glad to see an explanation about some of his more questionable actions. I was impressed with the character development of the other show contestants in the book, and grew to like them even though I didn’t think I would at first. Overall this was a fun escape, especially during the cold winter!

January 3, 2026 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance 0

The Four Engagement Rings of Sybil Rain

Mistakes We Never Made #2

by Hannah Brown

(3.5 / 5)

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for the free review copy of this book. All opinions in my review are completely my own.

The Four Engagement Rings of Sybil Rain follows an impulsive free spirited woman who has had 3 failed engagements. She takes a trip to Hawaii where she unexpectedly runs into her most recent ex-fiancé. This book is the second in the Mistakes We Never Made series. I’ve read both books, and while Sybil’s story does begin in the first book, I think it can still easily be read as a standalone. I actually liked this one better than the first book.

First off, I really loved the setting in Hawaii, and the descriptions were great. It took me a while to really warm up to the characters, and honestly I wasn’t positive who the love interest was going to be until pretty late in the book, so I wasn’t feeling much of a romantic vibe most of the time. There’s a lot of reflecting on Sybil’s past while she processes through her past relationships, which could be a bit emotional at times. The story wasn’t quite what I was expecting going in, but it still managed to draw me in, especially the farther into the book I got. The book was readable enough, and I actually finished it in a single day, which I don’t usually do. I was satisfied with how things ended and overall enjoyed how the characters grew over the course of the story.

June 25, 2025 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance Women's Fiction 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

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

32 Days in May

by Betty Corrello

coming May 13, 2025

(4 / 5)

A woman who is struggling after her lupus diagnosis meets a former tv star in a small New Jersey island town. They decide to have a whirlwind romance, just for the month of May.

This book took me a little bit to get into. In the beginning we are briefly jumping through a few key moments in time in the months after our protagonist, Nadia, learns that she has lupus and it significantly impacts her life. It’s obvious that she’s struggling a lot mentally, which can be difficult to read about, though it’s also an important part of her journey. Once I got more acclimated to the story, I was hooked, and I ended up enjoying it a lot.

Things definitely got more interesting when Nadia met Marco, a minor celebrity who has had his own struggles. Both characters felt so authentic and I really liked them, so it wasn’t hard to adore the relationship that develops between them. While there’s not necessarily anything about the story that surprised me, it was an emotional journey with a powerful message.

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for the free review copy of 32 Days in May! All opinions in my review are completely my own.

February 26, 2025 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance Women's Fiction 0

The Break-Up Pact

By Emma Lord

(3.5 / 5)

June and Levi were close childhood friends who have had minimal contact for the past 10 years. Each has been in a long-term relationship that recently ended, quite publicly. When a photo starts circulating of the two of them, assuming they are dating each other, they decide to “fake date” to help draw business to June’s tea shop and make Levi’s fiancé jealous.

The Break-Up Pact was set in a small, tight-knit beach town where everyone seems to know each other. We follow several things that are going on beyond the main storyline… June’s tea shop struggling, Levi writing a book, June’s brother is getting married, and June’s friend Sana is trying to write an article worthy of being in a big magazine. There’s a bit of a sad undertone to the story due to June’s sister (and Levi’s friend) Annie passing away two years ago, and I think both characters are still processing the grief of her being gone. The main characters were overall likeable, though sometimes I found it a little frustrating how much June tended to push Levi away. Both characters have been living in situations that are more to fulfill the dreams of other people instead of themselves, so there was some good character development as June and Levi figured out what they actually wanted for themselves.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for the free review copy of The Break-Up Pact! All opinions expressed in my review are completely my own.

January 5, 2025 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance 0

Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend

By MJ Wassmer

Coming August 6, 2024

(3 / 5)

Dan, an underachieving average guy, is on vacation with his girlfriend in the Bahamas at a new beach resort. But suddenly they are plunged into darkness, with the sun presumably having exploded. Welcome to the apocalypse.

Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend has a satirical approach to an apocalyptic event, so it’s not necessarily something that can be taken completely seriously. The book felt fittingly chaotic, especially as a societal hierarchy formed between the different buildings of guests. A lot of the characters weren’t necessarily very likable, especially in this situation where humanity is at its worst, so I never really connected completely with the main characters. Along the way the story has a bit of a twist to it, but honestly, I had already suspected it, so it probably didn’t have the impact on me that it would have otherwise. There was enough going on in the story to keep my interest, and it felt like a pretty quick read, but it wasn’t quite as much “the book for me” as I thought it would be.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the free review copy of Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend! All opinions in my review are completely my own.

July 22, 2024 by danimae1981 Fiction Humor/Satire Kindle 0

Fated

By Sarah Ready

Coming July 16, 2024

(3.5 / 5)

Fated is the 3rd book in the Ghosted series, though it takes place before the other books, so I think it could easily be read as a standalone. In this story, we follow Fiona, co-owner of her family’s famous watch company in Geneva. She has some abandonment issues and is afraid to fall in love. When she is gifted a family heirloom that will let her dream her desires, she is introduced to a different life on an island, with a husband that might be a chance for her to love.

I wanted to love this book… the premise was interesting, with beautiful settings and great descriptions. The pacing felt a bit slow for my taste, and I think I would have liked to see more of Fiona in the real world. The dream world definitely had more drama and complications than I was expecting. I think I felt a little uncomfortable with the premise of Fiona basically living the life of another person (Becca) in the dream world, who seemed to have different intentions when Fiona wasn’t there. Meanwhile Fiona is dating her friend, Max, in the real world while she falls for Aaron in the dream world. All that said, the end of the book really takes a turn that tugs at the heartstrings and kept me more invested in the story. I was happy about how it ended and like the hints toward the next book in the series.

Thank you to Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members’ Titles, Sarah Ready and NetGalley for the free review copy of Fated! All opinions expressed in my review are completely my own.

May 31, 2024 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance Women's Fiction 0

Attached at the Hip

By Christine Riccio

(4 / 5)

I thought this book was a fun read. As a Survivor fan, I thoroughly enjoyed experiencing the fictional spin-off show, Attached at the Hip, that is the base of the story. It really did have that Survivor feel to it, with the unique twist of being tethered to another player. In the beginning, I found the main character, Orie, to feel very immature, but that also allowed for a lot of character growth along the way. I really enjoyed the relationship building between Orie and other contestants from the show, and how complicated it became when they had to routinely vote someone out. The book kept me engaged, and it was hard to put down… I was always excited to see what would happen next.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press | Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the free review copy of Attached at the Hip! All opinions in my review are completely my own.