NetGalley

Switched

By Sarah Ready

Narrated by Kelsey Navarro Foster and James Anderson Foster

Coming soon on February 20, 2024

(4 / 5)

Serena is a scientist who likes her life the way it is, convinced that having a relationship with a man would mean giving up her own identity. Then she meets Henry, and they have a one-night stand. He’s convinced it’s love at first sight, but Serena is not falling for that, especially when she finds out he’s going to be her new boss. For well over a year they suppress the feelings, nothing but coworkers… until one day a storm at the Large Hadron Collider leads to them switching bodies, and now they have to stick together until they figure out how to undo it.

Switched is the second book in the Ghosted series, though I think it can easily be read as a standalone. Personally, I liked Ghosted better, but Switched was still an enjoyable read. I had the opportunity to listen to the audiobook version, which I thought was well-done, especially with portraying the various accents of different characters.

I liked the portrayal of Serena being a woman working in science, though sometimes I felt like the science references were a little bit lost on me. That said, you could feel her passion for the field. The body switch give the book a little bit of a paranormal feel, but this was something I expected. There were definitely some laugh-out-loud moments along the way, but also a lot of soul searching as Serena and Henry learn about each other during their predicament. There was a lot of character growth, especially for Serena, as she came to better understand herself, Henry, and the reasons she didn’t want to have a relationship. Switched kept me wanting to read more, and I was able to finish the whole book within a 24-hour timespan.

Thank you to Sarah Ready, W. W. Crown, and imprint of Swift & Lewis Publishing, LLC, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members’ Audiobooks, and NetGalley for the free audiobook of Switched. All opinions in my review are completely my own.

Past Crimes

By Jason Pinter

Coming soon on February 6, 2024

(4 / 5)

Past Crimes takes us into a not-so-distant future where peoples’ lives now revolve around a virtual world known as Earth+, and one of the favorite pastimes is participating in simulations of famous murders and crimes. Here we meet Cassie, who works for a company that looks to sell victims’ stories to the highest bidder.

This story had an unsettling feel to it, I think because the future it presented felt dystopian but believable. There’s a lot of action, and it was a bit of an adrenaline rush as a “rush against the clock” scenario plays out. There are some twists along the way, some that I saw coming for a while and some that I didn’t expect at all. I liked the main character, Cassie, and that she was a representative of a fairly “normal” person in this future world until she becomes a victim herself. Overall, I found this to be an interesting book to read, and it kept my interest.

Thank you to Severn House and NetGalley for the free review copy of Past Crimes. The opinions in my review are solely my own.

January 31, 2024 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Thriller 0

The Getaway List

By Emma Lord

Narrated by Norma Butikofer

Coming soon on January 23, 2024

(4 / 5)

The Getaway List is a young adult story following Riley, a teen who has just graduated high school and is trying to figure out who she is. She travels to New York City to visit her best friend, Tom, who moved away a few years ago. Together, they start doing some of the adventures on “The Getaway List,” which they created during their time apart.

I had the opportunity to listen to the audiobook version of The Getaway List. I enjoyed the narration and thought it was well done. I’m glad I had the opportunity to experience this version of the book.

The Getaway List felt like a true coming-of-age story, since our main character, Riley, has just graduated high school and is exploring who she is and what she wants to do with her future. She initially heads for New York City to visit Tom, but they are quickly joined by a couple friends from school and a new friend along the way. The story takes place over the course of a summer full of adventures, blooming relationships, and the friends discovering their individual selves apart from family expectations. It was great to see so much character growth in Riley and all of her friends. I’ll admit that the parent in me cringed a bit when Riley impulsively took off immediately after graduation, straining her relationship with her mom. In the end, though, I was happy with the way things were resolved. There are some hints of romance along the way, but it’s very slow burn. It’s almost frustratingly slow, but I think there’s also a great lesson in these characters trying to figure themselves out before diving into something they weren’t quite ready for. I overall enjoyed this story and look forward to reading more books by Emma Lord.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Young Listeners and NetGalley for the free review copy of The Getaway List. All opinions in my review are completely my own.

January 8, 2024 by danimae1981 Audiobook Fiction Young Adult 0

A Fragile Enchantment

By Allison Saft

Coming soon on January 2, 2024!

(4.5 / 5)

A Fragile Enchantment is a young adult fantasy romance with a historical feel to it. We follow Niamh, a common girl from Machland who has the ability to stitch emotions into fabric. A talented dressmaker, her creations have received enough attention that she is asked to design the wardrobe for a royal wedding in Avaland. The groom is Prince Christopher, more commonly known as Kit, who has a questionable past, abrasive personality, and is obviously not marrying by choice. As Niamh and Kit begin to bond, it creates a complicated situation while political unrest builds in Avaland.

I really enjoyed reading this book… it was so immersive and hard to put down, that I found myself reading well into the night. Niamh was a likeable character who cared deeply about the well-being of her family and those around her. Though life at the palace was a very foreign world for her, she was dedicated to her work and made friends along the way. Her relationship with Kit was quite complicated, but I liked how much they challenged each other and brought out the best qualities in each other. Both of these characters showed a lot of growth over the course of the story. The political undertones made the story even more complex, and it had me guessing as to what secrets lurked beneath the surface. It was one of those books where I was sad when it came to an end because I had enjoyed it so much.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the free review copy of A Fragile Enchantment! Opinions expressed in my review are completely my own.

December 25, 2023 by danimae1981 Fantasy Fiction Kindle Romance Young Adult 0

On the Plus Side

By Jenny L. Howe

Coming soon on December 26, 2023!

(4 / 5)

Everly has not really been herself since the loss of her grandmother, and she’s afraid of being “too much” – too loud, too colorful, too big. So it’s easier to hold a job where she doesn’t have to show her art to other people and dress in dark colors to blend in with background. Then everything changes when she’s nominated to be a guest on her favorite reality TV show, On the Plus Side, a show that puts plus size people under a positive light. It’s an opportunity to find herself and follow her dreams, but it also means big changes and being in the spotlight. Add in the Thor lookalike from work and the grumpy cameraman from the show, and things could get interesting…

As a plus size person myself, I was drawn to this book that features a plus size main character. I really love the positive outlook it has for people of all sizes, stressing pride in who you are and not being afraid to show your true self. There are several plus size characters, so it gives our main character, Everly, a place to feel seen and like she belongs. The show she is on concentrates on both fashion and life changes, so it was great to see her embrace her art and look at how she could make a career out of it. Everly was a character that I could really relate to, and I loved watching her grow over the course of the story.

Of course, with this book being a romance, we know going in that there’s going to be a relationship that blossoms through the story, which I really enjoyed as well. There are definitely some ups and downs along the way, but it was great to see Everly find someone who truly respects her for who she is. It was a heartwarming story that made me feel like I could learn some things about myself along the way.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for the free advance copy of On the Plus Side! All opinions expressed in my review are completely my own.

December 17, 2023 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance 0

Draw Down the Moon

By P.C. Cast; Kristin Cast

Available April 2, 2024

(3 / 5)

It’s a modern-day world where magick exists, but only for a small portion of the population who are Moonstruck. Mundanes (non-magickal people) do not even know it exists. In our story we meet Wren, who is Mundane but knows of the magickal world because her late parents were part of it, and Lee, Wren’s best friend who is magickal. Recently graduated, Wren is fine with being Mundane. But the moment she turns 18, everything changes for Wren, and now she’s attending a magickal school with her friends, Lee and Sam. On the surface it seems like an amazing place, but the more she learns, the more Wren realizes that something is very wrong here. Meanwhile Lee is under a lot of pressure from his family to excel.

I really wanted to love this book, but for some reason it just didn’t grab my attention like I hoped it would. It felt like something was missing for me, but I couldn’t pinpoint what it was. In the end, I think it might just be written for a younger audience than other books I usually read. I will say that it gets more interesting as the story goes on. It’s the first book in a duology, so it’s pretty obvious there’s still more left to this story when the book ends. I’m curious about where things will go next.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the free advance review copy of Draw Down the Moon. All opinions expressed in my review are solely my own.

December 10, 2023 by danimae1981 Fantasy Fiction Kindle Young Adult 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.

December 3, 2023 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance Women's Fiction 0

Baby X

By Kira Peikoff

Coming March 5, 2024

(5 / 5)

In the not-so-distant future, embryos can be created from the DNA of any two people with something as simple as a saliva sample. Most pregnancies begin with the selection of an embryo with optimal genetics. But there’s a new kind of crime happening – stealing DNA from celebrities to have their genetic offspring without their permission.

Baby X follows three women who are connected to embryo selection: Quinn, a surrogate mother; Ember, who is working to protect the DNA of a famous musician; and Lily, an aspiring journalist whose mother is going through the selection process, but Lily feels inferior for being conceived the traditional way. At first it took me bit to feel acquainted with each character since they are going through different experiences, but I quickly grew to like all of them. I enjoyed the various side characters as well, and even the more villainous were interesting – I loved to hate them.

The book has a fast pace to it. Split into four parts, the first part takes place in the span of a year, and the plot gets more complicated as things continue. I’ll admit, I had a hunch about some parts a while before they were actually revealed, but it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the book. Things were complicated enough that there were still plenty of surprises along the way.

Overall this was a really interesting book to read. It felt like a future that could very well happen and was an interesting take on genetics and how future generations could be affected. It was different, thrilling, and satisfying.

Thank you to The Quick Brown Fox & CO, Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the free advance copy of Baby X. My review is voluntary, and all opinions are my own.

November 27, 2023 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Sci-Fi Thriller 0

The Mystery Writer

By Sulari Gentill

Coming soon on March 19, 2024

(3 / 5)

A young woman named Theo drops out of law school in Australia to move in with her brother in Kansas and become a writer instead. By chance, she befriends a famous author who provides feedback and mentorship as she writes her first book. But then he is murdered, and Theo’s life takes a surprising turn…

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect of this book, but it was definitely different from anything else I have read. While it mostly follows Theo’s point of view, we see from some other characters as well, including posts to a conspiracy theory website. The book seemed to have 3 distinct parts to it, at least for me: Theo working on her first book in hopes of becoming a successful author, mentored by famous author Dan Murdoch; the events following Dan’s murder; and Theo’s disappearance. Along the way we meet a whole cast of characters, some of which are quite interesting. The story takes some unexpected turns, though there were some parts to this puzzle that I pieced together on my own long before they were revealed. The book is written well with great descriptions, but at times it felt like the story was moving too slow for me, especially in the middle part. I typically read mystery books that are more of a thriller, so I tend to prefer a faster pace. There were also some elements that felt unresolved or left me feeling a bit confused. In the end, I could see this being a book that would be loved by the right reader, but for me it was a bit too drawn out.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the free advance copy of The Mystery Writer. The opinions expressed in my review are completely my own.

November 20, 2023 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Literary Fiction Mystery 0

Baby, One More Time

By Camilla Isley

Coming soon on January 20, 2023

(4 / 5)

Baby, One More Time is the second book in the True Love series by Camilla Isley. A few parts actually overlap with the first book, Not in a Billion Years, so it was fun to revisit the characters AND see some events from a different perspective. While I think reading both books is the better way to go, Baby, One More Time could easily be read as a standalone. I see the potential setup for another book in the series, so I’m hoping the series will continue!

This book follows the story of Marissa and John, who dated in high school but had a rather abrupt breakup 16 years ago. Marissa has decided to try to have a baby through IVF, then discovers that John is a doctor at the clinic she is going to – let’s just say that was an awkward way to see each other for the first time in 16 years! The story alternates between both characters’ points of view, giving a clear picture of where things stand with each of them. I thought both Marissa and John were likable characters, and I enjoyed seeing Blake and Gabriel again from the previous book.

This book was a quick read and flowed well. At times it seemed a little redundant, especially within Marissa’s thoughts, but it was also understandable given her complicated situation. It’s definitely a slow burn romance, but it has a satisfying ending.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the free advance review copy of Baby, One More Time! All opinions in my review are completely my own.

November 17, 2023 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance 0