London

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.

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

Heir, Apparently

By Kara McDowell

(5 / 5)

I absolutely loved The Prince and the Apocalypse, so when I saw there was going to be a sequel, I knew I had to read it. And holy cow, it did not disappoint. I devoured the book in a single day, which is not something that I usually do, but I just couldn’t put it down. I loved Wren and Theo as characters, with all the tension and banter between them that I loved from the last book coming back again. I wasn’t sure if it would be possible, but Heir, Apparently carried that same rollercoaster of emotions amidst tragedy, adventure, drama and romance. It was fun to meet some new characters along the way, giving the story a fresh dynamic. This duology of books was really well done, and I’d love to read them again!

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

January 5, 2025 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Young Adult 0

The Bletchley Riddle

By Ruta Sepetys & Steve Sheinkin

Coming October 8, 2024

(4 / 5)

It’s 1940 in Britain, and World War II has begun. After their mother disappeared when Poland was invaded, presumed dead, teenage siblings Jakob and Lizzie find themselves working in Bletchley Park. Jakob is working with some of the brightest minds in Britain, trying to break Germany’s encoded messages. Meanwhile, Lizzie is convinced that their mother is still alive and is determined to find out what really happened to her.

While I typically don’t read a lot of middle grade books, The Bletchley Riddle really kept my interest. It was hard to put down, and despite being 400 pages, I felt like I was flying through the book. Lizzie was definitely my favorite of the two protagonists, with a spirit and determination that kept the story exciting. I went into the book with little knowledge about Bletchley Park or the World War II codebreaking efforts, so I enjoyed the insight into such a historically impactful place. We even get to meet some real people who were part of the effort, such as Alan Turing, which gave the story even more validity. I thought the explanations of the Enigma machine were explained in an understandable way, even though it obviously was quite complicated. It was a nice touch that some puzzles/riddles were included in the book, so I could try to solve them along with the characters.

Thank you to Penguin Young Readers Group, Viking Books for Young Readers, and NetGalley for the free review copy of The Bletchley Riddle! All opinions expressed in my review are completely my own.

September 27, 2024 by danimae1981 Fiction Historical Kindle Middle Grade 0

Stars and Smoke

By Marie Lu

Paperback edition releases tomorrow!

(4 / 5)

19-year-old Winter Young is a huge global pop star, but he still yearns for something more in his life. Unexpectedly, he is approached by a secret agency with a mission to get intel on a crime boss while performing at a private birthday concert. He is paired with Sydney Cossette, a young but effective recruit of the agency.

I had the opportunity to get an early copy of the new paperback edition of Stars and Smoke, which includes new artwork and a bonus scene. Thank you to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group and BookishFirst; all opinions in my review are solely my own.

I really enjoyed reading Stars and Smoke. I thought both of the main characters were interesting and felt relatable in their own ways, with complicated pasts. The banter between Winter and Sydney was fun and I enjoyed the development of their relationship along the way. The “pop star turned spy” concept was interesting and done well. There was a lot of action, and parts of the story even had a cinematic feel to them. I was expecting some kind of twist along the way and thought I had it all figured out, but it turns out the book was still able to provide surprises. This was one of those books where, once I started getting close to the end, I couldn’t put it down. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series and reading more by this author!

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

April 1, 2024 by danimae1981 Fiction Mystery Paperback Thriller Young Adult 0

The Husbands

By Holly Gramazio

Coming soon on April 2, 2024

(3 / 5)

Imagine coming home one night, where you live alone, only to be greeted by a strange man who turns out to be your husband. It’s a different reality, and with the mysterious husband come other small differences. When the husband goes into the attic, a different husband appears, with a different reality…

I wanted to love this book, but it ended up falling a bit flat for me. I didn’t really feel a connection to Lauren, the main character, so I think that was a lot of it. The beginning of the book was a bit too impersonal for my taste, since I knew very little about Lauren and the husbands were rapidly changing. We do end up getting to know Lauren a lot better as the story progresses, but I just never felt a real connection. The premise was definitely a unique and interesting investigation into “what if,” with the paranormal twist of the magic attic, seeing how ending up with different spouses changed Lauren’s life in different ways. I think I was secretly hoping for something that was more comedic or romantic, so this book just wasn’t quite what I was expecting. It wasn’t a bad read, just not quite the right book for me.

Thank you to Doubleday Books | Doubleday and NetGalley for the free review copy of The Husbands. All opinions in my review are completely my own.

March 25, 2024 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Literary Fiction Women's Fiction 0

Ex in the City

By Portia MacIntosh

Coming February 27, 2024

(3 / 5)

Nicole once lived an exciting life, touring with bands as a magazine journalist. But these days, she’s living the suburban mom life, in a relationship that is essentially over. Then rockstar Dylan, Nicole’s former best friend, shows up, and her past and present lives come crashing together.

This was one of those books that I wished I loved, but in the end I just didn’t feel the connection to the characters and story that I was hoping to. Don’t get me wrong, the story is written well, flowed well, had character growth, and was a quick read. I think I was partially put off by Nicole sticking around with Rowan (her ex) even though the relationship was over, and it took a bit to learn exactly where things went wrong with them. Plus I think I would’ve liked to see Dylan arrive in the story sooner and more of a relationship with him and Nicole. While this wasn’t quite the right book for me, it’s something I think other readers may enjoy, so definitely don’t write it off just based on my feelings about it.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the free review copy of Ex in the City! All opinions in my review are completely my own.

February 16, 2024 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance 0

The Fury

By Alex Michaelides

Coming soon on 1/16/24

(4 / 5)

A celebrity invites some family and friends to a weekend away on her private island in Greece. While there, one of them is murdered, which means one of the other 6 people must be the murderer. But this isn’t your typical murder mystery.

The Fury is unlike any book I’ve ever read. From the beginning we know that a murder will take place, but we don’t know who the victim is, who the murderer is, or why it happens. The book feels almost like a memoir more than a fictional story. Our narrator is Elliot, one of the people on the island that night, recounting the tale some time later. From the beginning, the voice of this narrator felt unique and somewhat unreliable. Even when you think you have something figured out, it turns out there’s more to the story. The nonlinear timeline definitely adds to the mystery, but what this book really seems to be about is the characters more than the events that happen. Honestly, I was a bit unsure about this book in the beginning, but then it really pulled me in. I had a lot of theories along the way, but there are some big twists that I never saw coming.

All opinions expressed in my review are completely my own. Thank you to Celadon Books and BookishFirst for the free advance copy of the book!

January 2, 2024 by danimae1981 Fiction Paperback Thriller 0

Fairytale of New York

By Zoë Folbigg

Available now (read for free with Prime Reading)

(5 / 5)

Charlotte “Charlie” Brown is a professional makeup artist in London. She hasn’t seen her boyfriend, Harry, for 6 months, so she’s taking some off to visit him in New York City. She arrives just days before Christmas, but Harry isn’t there to greet her at the airport and isn’t answering his phone. Where could he be? And where does Charlie go from here?

This book was a great December read since maybe half of it takes place around Christmas and New Year’s. The story has a lot of depth to it and was very immersive – it was very hard to put this one down. I loved the settings of New York and London – it felt like a bit of an adventure exploring these places with the characters, especially when I recognized a few places from my own travels.

I really enjoyed the main character, Charlie. She is accomplished and hardworking, but she also has some self-doubts and ghosts from her past that she needs to resolve. Along the way she befriends Pete, another likable character who helps show her around New York City. These characters are joined by a diverse cast of side characters that were interesting and had their own stories.

I thought the style of writing was interesting in this book. It follows Charlie, but internal thoughts and feelings are shared from the characters that are around her too. I don’t usually see a narrative like this, but it really worked in this book, giving additional insight and even a sense of mystery since we obviously don’t know the whole backstory yet. I would love to read some more books by this author.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a free review copy of this book. All opinions expressed in my review are completely my own.