famous

Shapes of Love

by L. V. Peñalba

Audiobook narrated by Mieko Gavia

coming May 19, 2026

(4 / 5)

Many thanks to Macmillan Audio, St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for providing free review copies of the eBook and audiobook of Shapes of Love! All thoughts and opinions are completely my own.

Shapes of Love follows Sasha, a young adult musician who is aroace. While this isn’t your typical love story, I thought it was quite beautiful, showing love in many different forms. It was very diverse with several characters that were LGBTQ+, plus characters from different races and cultures. I felt like Sasha was a relatable character who portrayed being aroace in a positive light while still showing realistic struggles a person might have. I’ll admit that I hated seeing her hiding her true identity from her fans, but I also understood why she felt the way she did. I also like that she represented a person who is (probably) autistic very well. I loved watching her character grow over the course of the story. I enjoyed a lot of the side characters and seeing their journeys and interactions as well. At times the book felt a bit slow, especially at the beginning, but I didn’t notice it as much as I kept reading. There’s a lot of internal monologue, and it overall seems like a very introspective book. I think the book handled some interesting topics very well, and even kept some lighthearted humor along the way.

I had the opportunity to read the audiobook version of the book, and I thought the narrator did a great job. She used different voices for different characters, and even did accents for the characters who had them. I thought her delivery of the text added to my enjoyment of the book.

Royal Summer

by Kass Morgan

coming May 12, 2026 (audio available May 5, 2026)

(4 / 5)

I want to thank HarperCollins Children’s Books, HarperAudio Children’s, and NetGalley for providing free review copies of the ebook and audiobook of Royal Summer. All thoughts and opinions are completely my own.

In Royal Summer, an American girl, Hannah, is supposed to be working abroad in Scotland with her favorite author for the summer. When her plans fall through, a prince, Finn, helps her get a new job at a castle.

I really liked this book! The story pulled me in easily from the start, and it kept my interest right through to the end. I loved how it could make me smile and laugh, especially when it came to the banter and interactions between Hannah and Finn. The romance between them was really sweet too. Hannah was a relatable narrator who had some tough things from her home life that she was dealing with. It was nice to see her character grow over the course of the story! I’ll admit, some of the situations seemed extremely unlikely to happen in real life, but it was still made a fun escape. There’s a bit of spice to this one… more than a lot of the YA that I read but not super graphic. The book is probably best suited to older teens and college age.

I was able to listen to the audiobook version of the book, and while it wasn’t bad, the narrator wasn’t my favorite either. I noticed that sometimes she had an accent where she dropped r’s, but it wasn’t consistant and didn’t feel like a good representation of Hannah’s voice. She also tended to pause unexpectedly in the middle of sentence, then not pause between sentences. A few words were also mispronounced (for example, double instead of doable). Since I was reading the ebook along with the audiobook, it’s possible that some of my complaints were more noticeable than if I was just reading the audiobook by itself.

April 24, 2026 by danimae1981 Audiobook Fiction Kindle Romance 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

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.

February 25, 2026 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle New Adult Romance Young Adult 0

You Rock My World

by Camilla Isley

coming September 11, 2025

(3.5 / 5)

I received a free review copy of this book from Boldwood Books and NetGalley. All opinions are completely my own.

You Rock My World was a quick read that felt very readable, but I didn’t love it quite as much as I hoped I would. Sometimes it just felt like something was missing… maybe some depth to the characters beyond the romance? Sometimes I was a bit frustrated with the characters’ actions, especially with crossing lines on this forbidden romance despite agreeing to hold back. That said, it created a lot of tension, and I liked the chemistry between Josie and Dorian. I especially enjoyed the high energy of the rock performance scenes!

September 9, 2025 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance 0

Wish You Were Her

by Elle McNicoll

coming August 26, 2025

(4 / 5)

Thank you to Wednesday Books, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for the free review copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are completely my own.

In Wish You Were Her, we follow a young actress, Allegra, who is taking a break and spending her summer in a small town, where she meets a grumpy bookseller, Jonah. It’s dual POV, which gives us the opportunity to see things from both Allegra and Jonah’s perspectives. Since the author is Scottish, the book is written in British English.

I enjoyed reading this book and had a hard time putting it down. While there wasn’t anything super surprising about the plot, it didn’t really take away from my enjoyment of the book. The relationship between Allegra and Jonah could be a bit explosive but was fun to watch it evolve. We meet a variety of characters, with some very likable and others having a darker side.

A big topic in this story is autism, and we meet a couple autistic characters along the way. I thought it was all very insightful, with great descriptions of how characters felt. It was portrayed in an optimistic and uplifting way while still showing the obstacles characters faced. Allegra was an especially interesting character since we could see what it was like to be famous, the challenges that came with it, and how her autism affected that experience, sometimes in a very positive way.

This was a quick, fun read, and I look forward to seeing more from the author!

August 21, 2025 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Young Adult 0

Well, Actually

by Mazey Eddings

coming August 5, 2025

(4 / 5)

First off, thank you to St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin, and NetGalley for the free review copy of Well, Actually! All opinions in my review are completely my own.

A spontaneous drunken social media post leads to two online personalities to have to confront each other and their past failed relationship, all with the public watching.

I really enjoyed reading this one! I thought it had fun elements while also diving into some more serious topics as well. It manages to have some decent spice too. I think Eva, the FMC, probably won’t be for everyone – on the outside she can be prickly, harsh, and push people away. I couldn’t help but like her though, and I enjoyed watching her character grow. I liked the dynamic between Eva and Rylie, the MMC, who challenged her in a positive way and accepted her the way she was. The banter between the two was fun and one of my favorite things about this book. I thought the way that Eva and Rylie confronted their past was handled well. Some of the workplace issues were a bit appalling, but I like how things were resolved in the end. I found the book engaging and hard to put down – I’ll be seeking out more by the author in the future!

July 14, 2025 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance 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

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

When You Rescue Your Celebrity Crush

When in Rotheberg #3

By Lia Huni

I’m working on reading the entire When in Rotheberg series in order, though this book could easily be a standalone. I ended up liking this one more than book #2. In this story, we follow Matt and his celebrity crush, actress Nica. Matt as a character was a lot more fun than I was expecting, and I enjoyed how the book started with a prank on his daughter. Honestly, in the beginning I didn’t see how a romance between the two could ever work (which is basically how the characters feel too), but it all came together in a way that makes sense. I enjoyed seeing all the quirky characters we’ve met along the way in this series, and also finally meeting Matt’s daughter, Eva. I’m looking forward to continuing on to the next book in the series!

January 22, 2025 by danimae1981 Fiction Romance 0