‘Sunrise on the Reaping’ by Suzanne Collins
Crying. Sobbing. Asking myself why I knowingly put myself through this. Suzanne Collins does it again. And the thing is, we all know how it ends. We’ve been knowing. Yet I still let myself fall in love with characters who were ultimately destined to die. And their deaths didn’t hurt any less.
In fact, they maybe hurt worse. The book had me gasping in surprise, unraveling through revelations, and quite literally, hitting my head against the pages themselves (pg 364). Though it is one of the saddest books I’ve ever read, I loved it. If I had to nitpick, we saw a lot of characters that we already knew from various other scenarios.
This seemed a bit like too much to me at times. However, I think they all made sense. No one felt shoehorned in for no reason. Now give me Finnick’s games, please. I was asked who my favorite tributes were. Maysilee and Ampert. Every death of someone we loved seemed so gruesome, and it was devastating.
I have so many answers and yet so many questions. Plutarch? What are you doing? Beetee’s second kid? Tell me more. What else have we only seen through Katniss’s eyes that has more to the story? Are there other attempted rebellions??
‘Scot and Bothered’ by Alexandra Kiley
This book has given me unrealistic expectations for my upcoming trip to Scotland. On the real, I loved this book. And when I say I loved it, I really loved it. Was it because I heavily related to Brooke’s journey of trusting in herself and believing that she can follow her passion? Absolutely.
The romance was a nice touch as well. This book and story feel special to me. It’s a cheesy romance, but it touched something in my soul. It’s a story full of depth and humanity with spicy rekindling sprinkled in. I jotted down this quote as soon as I read it.
“Take a chance on yourself. Trust that the thing you love will take you where you need to be.”
Likes & Loves
*(Spoiler-ish if you want zero context or vague descriptions)
- I blushed at the “then” sections of the book, where their romance originally bloomed. The draw and attraction were palpable through the pages.
- I cried during a section on their journey where people from different walks of life came together as a community. I actually cried.
- Every detail about Scotland
- Not knowing verbatim the reason for the initial breakup until closer to the end.
- I assumed the third act breakup would be because of the secret being kept, and I was grateful when it wasn’t.
🐝words: Second Chance romance, enemies to lovers, “teacher”/student (but not really), split time-line, Scotland
Second book in the world and first book love interests are briefly in the story.
‘Say a Little Prayer’ by Jenna Voris
Gay crisis and church-hurt all rolled into one book.
A year after Riley has left her church, she must attend her old congregation’s church camp, but instead of practicing heavenly virtues, she makes it her mission to commit all seven deadly sins instead. She also may be falling for her best friend, who also just so happens to be the pastor’s daughter. When I saw the premise for this book, I knew I had to read it.
As someone who has accumulated religious trauma associated with the church’s opinions on the LGBTQ+ community, this book was practically written for me. As I was reading, I felt the same anger in Riley bubbling up within me. I remember sitting in my church class and listening as the priest referred to gay people as predators and pedophiles. I never went back there. So trust and believe when I say this book captured that feeling well.
also so eloquently captured the feelings of pain and hurt when all you want is for the people around you to stand up for you; how you try not to blame them, but that little voice sticks around in the depths of your mind. I did find Riley to be a bit of an immature narrator, but this is a young adult novel. Her motivations fit with what a 17-year-old would be thinking. And though I know these people are out there, the evil nature of the pastor felt a bit heavy-handed (even though I’ve met people exactly like him).
I recommend this book, but do give a hint of caution if you are still in the midst of active church hurt. It may weigh too heavily on your heart.
🐝words: Sapphic, LGBTQ+, Friends to Lovers
‘Animal Farm’ by George Orwell 🎧
Hard to rate a classic as anything less than a 5. Crazy how this book is still as relevant as when it was written.
I had never read the book before, so everything was new to me, and I honestly didn’t know how it was going to go when I started. Found myself nodding along and going “wow” and “yup” and “sounds about right”.
‘In the Weeds’ by B.K. Borison 🎧
The magic of a small-town Christmas tree farm lives on even in the spring. The second book in the Lovelight Farms world did not disappoint. I loved to see Evelyn return to find her happy, and I loved getting to learn more about Beckett.
The romanticizing of small-town life was strong with this one, especially since I listened to it on the way to and the way from my parents’ home (nestled in the countryside of a small town). I even helped with the garden!
I think the concept of not knowing where we’re supposed to be and not knowing how to find happiness is such a universal feeling. B.K. Borison taps into that innermost desire so well. The charm charmed me and had me wanting more. And I feel it had just the right amount of book one’s love interests and the right amount of spice.
🐝words: Forced Proximity, Small-town, Second-chance, Farmer??
‘Mixed ‘Signlas’ by B.K. Borison 🎧
I could not stop thinking about In the Weeds, so I decided to start listening to the next book in the world, Mixed Signals. But this one didn’t hit as much. Small spoilers ahead. First, what I liked: I enjoyed the personalities of both Layla and Caleb. Layla’s passion for what she loves and Caleb’s heart in everything he does. The village aspect of the community coming together to support each other in times of need was that nice small-town cherry on top.
However. This story fell flat for me. It didn’t feel like there were any real stakes. Layla fell in instant love out of nowhere, and the miscommunication trope for the 3rd act breakup was miscommunication. The fake dating plot was nice, but it never actually seemed fake with Caleb’s long-held crush and Layla’s instant love.
I also wanted more of the magazine profile since that was a huge piece the story was leading up to. The payoff just wasn’t there. It was a bit disappointing considering the first two books had hinted at this romance previously. I was excited for it and ready for it. I still love their love, but I wanted more.
🐝words: Fake Dating, Small-town, Miscommunication
