From the Grave (The Arcana Chronicles, #6)

From the Grave by Kresley Cole

Published by Valkyrie Press on April 18, 2023

Pages: 356

From the grave, I rise for you.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 5 out of 5.

It’s kinda weird that I’m sitting down to write this review. I’ve been reading this series since 2013 and that just so happens to be the year that I really got back into reading since I was a child. So this series has been in my life almost longer than it hasn’t and I never really expected it to end.

Of course everything comes to an end eventually, but for some reason I never expected this series to actually reach its conclusion. So here we are at the end, reeling from all that unraveled within those 356 pages.

I was actually pretty stoic through reading it but now looking back on it and thinking about my thoughts, I’m getting a bit teary-eyed.

Going into this book I had a few things I expected to happen. I didn’t know how – or if they would – but the natural progression of the story had all arrows pointing at my hunches. But…more on that later. 

This was a bittersweet ending. It was sweet because I think Kresley Cole really did a nice job giving us everything we needed to say goodbye to these characters and this world. It was a little bitter because of course I don’t want to say goodbye. It’s such an interesting concept and I’ve loved diving into these books every few years when a new one releases. Not having that to look to anymore feels weird! 

So let’s jump right into it. I’ll give you fair warning that this will be under a spoiler tag so if you don’t want to be ruined… 

I’m Glad My Mom Died

I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

Published by Simon & Schuster on August 9, 2022

Pages: 320

Why do we romanticize the dead? Why can’t we be honest about them? Especially moms, they’re the most romanticized of anyone.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 5 out of 5.

If you haven’t heard about this book, you must be living under a rock. With a divisive title, this memoir by child-star Jennette McCurdy has caught the attention of anyone spying the title in the shelves or on Twitter. It’s deeply personal, honest, and reflective. It does not sugar coat or twist the narrative, but it is intertwined with perfect notes of humor. This memoir is more than worth the purchase if you can find it at your local bookstore (did I mention they can hardly keep this book in stock?). It’s easily so far one of the best books I’ve read this year.

Every Summer After

Every Summer After by Carley Fortune

Published by Berkley on May 10, 2022

Pages: 313

“I loved you so much that the word ‘love’ didn’t seem big enough for how I felt.” 

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

I am going to preface this review with the fact that I sped-read this book. And with this fact in mind, I think I would’ve really loved this book had I given it the proper time and focus it deserved. But coming off the heels of People We Meet on Vacation it was just wrong timing for Every Summer After, but since this was a book club book, I felt obligated to try my hardest to finish this book. So I sped-read it in an hour.

People We Meet on Vacation

People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

Published by Berkley Books on May 11, 2021

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Fiction, Adult

Pages: 364

But most of us are too scared to even ask what we want, in case we can’t have it.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Oh, BookTok. You’ve brought me many poolside reads this summer as this Emily Henry pick is the latest (and probably last) of the season.

The House Across the Lake

The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager

Published by Dutton on June 21, 2022

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Fiction, Adult

Pages:349

No matter how much you look, something just beneath the surface will always remain hidden. I should know. I’ve been watching.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I want to say with a decent amount of certainty that this is my first thriller. My confidence level is at about an 80%. Regardless, I quite enjoyed this book. It has a little bit of everything mixed in: thriller, suspense, and a bit of supernatural.

Where the Crawdads Sing

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons on August 14, 2018

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Romance

Pages: 368

How much do you trade to defeat loneliness?

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

This is has been on my TBR unofficially for probably 3 years but officially the fire was under me when the trailers for the upcoming movie started releasing. It was everything I expected it to be but was still worth the read.

The Unhoneymooners

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

Published by Gallery Books on May 14, 2019

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Adult

Pages: 400

And I get it. As much as I hate him . . . I think I’m starting to like us.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Wow. I really, really loved this. To preface my shock, this is one of the many contemporaries I saw last summer on BookTok that was added to my list and now a year later I’m finally getting to them. Coming off of Evelyn Hugo, this was a pleasant surprise. Not to mention I absolutely devoured this book poolside in 5 hours. It was just romance crack and everything I’ve been wanting.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Published by Atria Books on June 13, 2017

Genres: Historical Fiction, Romance, LGBT, Adult

Pages: 389

It’s always been fascinating to me how things can be simultaneously true and false, how people can be good and bad all in one, how someone can love you in a way that is beautifully selfless while serving themselves ruthlessly.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

This was probably one of the most hyped books of 2021. And I’m not going to say it lived up to the hype, but it also wasn’t a disappointment either. What is a contemporary on its face has a lot behind the cover you wouldn’t expect from a typical beach read. Which this totally was and I enjoyed reading it next to a body of water over Memorial Weekend.

Crush (Crave, #2)

Crush by Tracy Wolff

Published by Entangled: Teen on September 29, 2020

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult, Paranormal

Pages: 704

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

“Sometimes life hands you more than a new hand of cards to play—it hands you a whole new deck, maybe even a whole new game.”

This series is somehow mostly predictable but hard to put down. And I think that’s the charm.

November 9

November 9 by Colleen Hoover

Published by Atria Books on November 10, 2015

Genres: Romance, New Adult, Contemporary

Pages: 310

She’s not the kind of girl you choose your battles for. She’s the kind of girl you fight to the death for.

⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 3 out of 5.

My friends and I started a book club and this is the inaugural book. If I’m being honest, I thought the cover of the book (at first glance) was blood so I was fully expecting a murder mystery book. But I forgot that’s not what Colleen Hoover specializes in. She specializes in romances and she does them extremely well. The only book of hers that I’ve read is Never Never and it gripped me until the end. One the other hand, November 9 gripped me through the entirety of the book but lost me at the end.