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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!

Book Lovers

By Emily Henry

(5 / 5)

I enjoyed reading this book so much. The witty banter and comebacks between Nora and Charlie had me literally laughing out loud more than I have while reading a book in a long time. The characters had a lot of depth, with their first impressions barely scratching the surface. This book faces some heavy topics at times, but I enjoyed the growth of the characters and relationships with each other. As a book lover, I enjoyed the glimpses into the book publishing world, plus the quips about small town romance tropes when this was indeed a small town romance itself. My only regret is that it took me so long to finally get around to reading this book!

January 15, 2025 by danimae1981 Fiction Hardcover Romance 0

When the World Tips Over

By Jandy Nelson

Coming September 24, 2024

(4 / 5)

Dizzy, Miles, and Wynton are siblings whose father disappeared 12 years ago, and each are facing their own challenges. Then a mysterious rainbow-haired girl appears, affecting each of the siblings in their own ways.

When the World Tips Over is a book that dives deep into the dynamics of family, following a story that spans generations. Through the book, we follow the perspectives of 4 different characters along with notes from some other characters, plus the story of a family’s ancestors. It’s a lot to keep track of, but all of these pieces are interweaved in a way that slowly reveals a bigger picture while holding a feeling of mystery and destiny. There’s a sense of magical realism throughout, which gives the characters and story an almost fairy tale type feel. The book is quite long, and at times I felt like it was moving much slower than I prefer with not a lot of action… but I think that it’s just the type of book this is: very introspective and focused more on the characters than the plot. It was sometimes a bit depressing, yet thought-provoking enough to keep me wanting to read more, even when I wasn’t quite sure where the story was going. There are certainly some interesting surprises along the way that I didn’t see coming!

Thank you to Penguin Teen, Dial Books, and BookishFirst for the free review copy of When the World Tips Over! All opinions expressed in my review are completely my own.

July 14, 2024 by danimae1981 Fiction Paperback Young Adult 0

It Started with a Book

By Camilla Isley

Coming July 5, 2024

(4 / 5)

After getting ghosted yet again, Leigh is fed up with dating. A mysterious romance book turns out to be the perfect escape, and her dreams bring her back to the fictional world and the gorgeous billionaire cowboy, Killian. But one morning, she wakes up to Killian physically there in her apartment. Is it too good to be true?

First off, I loved Leigh as a character, and I felt an extra special connection to her as a fellow avid reader, book reviewer, and woman in computer science. I went into this book knowing that I’d have to suspend reality a little bit, but I really enjoyed the interesting experience of “book character comes to life.” I liked the story within the story aspect and how it all became intertwined. This book hits on just about every romance trope you can imagine, but it doesn’t feel cheesy at all because the characters are actively pointing it out and joking about it. I loved watching Killian and Leigh adapt to their crazy situation. The romance is definitely a slow burn, but I think the character development along the way validates it. It was great to see Leigh gain a sense of trust and the ability to speak up. This was just an overall enjoyable, quick read from an author who doesn’t disappoint!

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the free review copy of It Started with a Book! The opinions in my review are completely my own.