If I’m Being Honest by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka — 5 stars
I loved If I’m Being Honest! It’s a loose retelling of The Taming of the Shrew, and the main character, Cameron, is the high school mean girl. This is not a perspective I see often, so I liked being in her head and her growth throughout the story. And Brendan! He’s so soft and nerdy—very lovable—and their banter was so good. I also loved his relationship with his sister and how Cameron became real friends with her.
Time of Our Lives by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka — 3.5 stars
Time of Our Lives is a reflective, coming-of-age story about a girl who can’t wait to leave for college and a boy holding on with all his might. I loved Fitz and Juniper’s opposite feelings about leaving for college and how they learned from each other over their week together. It’s a heartfelt story full of family and learning how to embrace both your past and future.
If You Only Knew by Prerna Pickett — 4 stars
If You Only Knew is YA contemporary romance perfect for fans of Katie McGarry’s Thunder Road series! It has complex characters (including a misunderstood bad boy) who are working to correct mistakes from their past and find love along the way!
What’s Not Love to You by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka — 5 stars
What’s Not Love to You is my favorite Wibbroka novel! I loved this academic rivals-to-lovers romcom so much! It was so fun to read that I finished it in about a day. This book is perfect for fans of Today Tonight Tomorrow and the Devi/Ben ship in Never Have I Ever!
Hearts, Strings, and Other Breakable Things by Jacqueline Firkins — 4 stars
Hearts, Strings, and Other Breakable Things is a modern retelling of Mansfield Park! Mansfield Park is actually the Jane Austen novel I’m the least familiar with as I haven’t read the book or see an adaptation. This ended up being a good thing in this case as I didn’t know which of the guys in the love triangle Edie would end up with, so it was fun seeing her connect with both of them. I also loved watching Edie grow closer with her cousins throughout the story!
Save the Date by Morgan Matson — 5 stars
Save the Date is one of my very favorite books! When I first read this book, I related to the main character in so many way—my grandparents were selling their home (a house I practically grew up in) that summer and all of my extended family was visiting for my cousin’s wedding/to bid farewell to the house. Eerily similar, right? It’s been a few years now, and I’m glad I decided to revisit this story! I love the chaotic Grant family so much—their dynamic and interactions are so fun. Check out my aesthetic (the very first I ever made on the blog) here.
Escaping From Houdini by Kerri Maniscalco — 5 stars
The Stalking Jack the Ripper series has one of my all-time favorite ships! I adore Audrey Rose and Thomas so much—their banter is perfection. So I loved reuniting with them while reading Escaping From Houdini and getting swept away in the mystery aboard the RMS Etruria. There’s nothing like being trapped on an ocean liner with a murderer to keep the stakes high! I also really enjoyed all of the characters introduced through the Moonlight Carnival and finding out about their different acts and performances. They sure did add magic, mischief, and mayhem (as promised) to the story!