currently reading:

• Crooked Kingdom (Six Of Crows #2) - Leigh Bardugo
• Half Wild (Half Bad #2) - Sally Green (ugh)
• Redshirts - John Scalzi (I WILL PICK THIS BACK UP AND FINISH IT. I. WILL.)

queued:

• Mister O - Lauren Blakely
• Eligible - Curtis Sittenfeld
• Infinite Jest - David Foster Wallace
• Beauty Queens - Libba Bray
• The Martian - Andy Weir
• Spindle's End - Robin McKinley
• Practice Makes Perfect - Julie James
• Gathering of Shadows (Darker Shade of Magic #2) - V. E. Schwab
• Nightrunner (Nightrunner #1) - Lynn Flewelling
• The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories - Angela Carter
• An Ember in the Ashes - Sabaa Tahir

read:

• The Best Man (Blue Heron, #1) - Kristan Higgins ◉◉◉◉◎
  • 4 stars - super cute and funny, many laugh-out-loud moments, loved both the lead and love-interest. would read again.
• The Deal (Off-Campus, #1) - Elle Kennedy ◉◉◉◉◉
  • 5 stars - so solid for me, couldn't put it down. can totally see this not being some people's cup of tea, but i am addicted to the way kennedy not only writes characters themselves but dialog and interactions ... it's fire.
• After the Kiss (Sex, Love & Stiletto, #1) - Lauren Layne ◉◉◐◎◎
  • 2.5 stars - read this in a flurry. it was too fast i think? not very memorable either. didn't like the love interest at all ... but there were some cute moments (the jogging stuff stands out). not totally regrettable but not really great either.
• The Mistake (Off-Campus, #2) - Elle Kennedy ◉◉◉◉◎
  • 4 stars - gosh. maybe because i just loved the deal so much this wasn't as exciting for me (not like 5 stars exciting), but it was still so fun and i would totally read it again.
• Can You Keep a Secret? - Sophie Kinsella ◉◉◎◎◎
  • 2 stars - really wanted to like this, but the romance was ... uncomfortable. the guy was like cold oatmeal, i just. no. the only reason this gets 2 stars instead of 1 (or 0?) is because there were some super funny moments with the mc, like laugh-out-loud. kinsella clearly is a funny writer, but this was so off on so many points.
• The Score (Off-Campus, #3) - Elle Kennedy ◉◉◉◉◐
  • 4.5 stars - no words. loved it. shocked tbh bc i thought i'd hate it. (well, hate is a strong word, but i really went in thinking: there is no way i'll enjoy this bc dean is terrible. I WAS WRONG.)
• The Perfect Match (Blue Heron, #2) - Kristan Higgins ◉◉◉◎◎
  • 3 stars - wanted to love this more than i did. the setting was fun to return to and i really enjoy higgins' writing. i didn't really get into either leads, but the love interest grew a little on me, so that's why 3 stars.
• Waiting On You (Blue Heron, #3) - Kristan Higgins ◉◉◉◐◎
• Wallbanger - Alice Clayton ◉◉◉◉◐
  • 4.5 stars - the ONLY thing i didn't love about this book was the trip to spain (or whatever) but not in a bad way, it just felt a little off-beat from the rest of the tempo of the book. i loved both characters, they had such great chemistry, and i just ate this book up. loved it.
• The Dysfunctional Test - Kelly Moran ◉◉◉◉◎
  • 4 stars - this was sooo sweet. childhood family friends and fake-relationship circumstances are just ... crack for me. there were a few overly angsty parts but they communicated well and they dealt with it without it being groan-worthy.
• The Song of Achilles - Madelline Miller ◉◉◉◐◎
  • 3.5 stars - this took me 4 years to read. idk what else there is to say about this book. i read half and then dropped it for 4 years because i knew what was coming and i just Could Not Deal. finally got through it this year and i both loved and hated it. the ending was both satisfying and ... not. bittersweet, as you might expect. the writing was great, it was perfectly written, it just. so much. i don't think i could ever read it again. i am glad i finished it though. god, these two.
• Red Blooded - Caitlin Sinead ◉◉◉◐◎
  • 3.5 stars - "political suspense" is a weird genre, not something i'd normally read. but i thought this was sweet. there's not much to say about it, other than it was a good read, i liked the characters, but i probably wouldn't read it again.
• Losing It - Cora Carmack ◉◐◎◎◎
  • 1.5 stars - this gets a little better than 0 stars because there were funny moments. that's really it. badly written, not interesting, none of the characters were even good ... not even annoying in the end, just disappointing.
• Faking It - Cora Carmack ◉◉◉◎◎
  • 3 stars - this was a HUGE step up from the last book. i only read it because the summary said it followed a fake dating trope, and i am nothing if not predictable. and actually it was pretty good! it wasn't amazing by any standard, and a few parts were annoying (reminding me too much of the first book, ugh) but both the leads in this were way more engaging than the first book. enjoyed it.
• Captive Prince (Captive Prince #1) - C. S. Pacat ◉◉◉◉◐
  • 4.5 stars - i went into this having very little idea of what to expect. i definitely didn't expect to fall in love, or really get as obsessed as i did. i sat down to start this in my living room and barely got up for food and water. engrossing, intense, beautifully written, and addicting. the first book is what kind of gets everything set in motion, and the slow burn is so slow and burns so good. (note: there are DEF some strong trigger warnings for this series. but i'm glad that i only read that post instead of having read someone's opinion/interpretation over them, because they are ALL dealt with in a serious, real, and healthy way. none are glossed over, or romanticized, or sensationalized ... it's real life, real depth, in the most unrealistic fantasy series. and it was so beautiful for me to read. as a CSA victim myself, this series was ... so good to read. i cried haha, and i don't regret a second of it. i want to read it again.)
• Prince's Gambit (Captive Prince #2) - C. S. Pacat ◉◉◉◉◉
  • 5 stars - so fun, so lovely, so perfect. 20000% wonderful. 5 stars isn't enough stars.
• Kings Rising (Captive Prince #3) - C. S. Pacat ◉◉◉◉◉
  • 5 stars - B E L L S.
• The Fire's Stone - Tanya Huff ◉◉◉◉◎
  • 4 stars - this was so fun, fluffy high fantasy ot3! lighthearted quick read, loved all the characters and the story was a lot of fun.
• Ella Enchanted - Gail Carson Levine ◉◉◉◉◉
  • 5 stars - i WISH i hadn't seen the movie before reading the book. i spent the entire book wondering when the "evil uncle" character was gonna show up. turns out they made him up entirely for the film. so annoying. but actually made me dislike the movie, not the book. what a great book. can't believe it took me this long to read.
• The Raven King (The Raven Cycle #4) - Maggie Stiefvater ◉◉◉◎◎
  • 3 stars - all three of these stars go to ronan and adam, i'm sorry. saying this book was wildly disappointing for me is putting it mildly. i'm still salty about it months later. worst ending i've read to a series in a long while. i'd be lying if i said the other three books didn't carry this one. seriously i feel so very cheated, lol. anyway gangsey4lyfe bye.
• A Darker Shade of Magic (Darker Shade of Magic, #1) - V.E. Schwab ◉◉◉◉◉
  • 5 stars - what an INCREDIBLE world schwab built here. i felt like a kid in a candy store. a dark, spooky, magical & exciting candy store. also i absolutely adored delilah from the first second to the last. i almost wrote this off because i thought it was YA? it is most definitely not YA. thanks to whatever it was that kept me from not giving this a chance.
• Him (Him, #1) - Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy ◉◉◉◉◎
  • 4 stars - predisposed to like this, friends-to-lovers is one of my favorite things of all time, beaten only by the enemies-to-lovers trope ... i know. i know. and this was childhood friends-to-lovers. honestly. i also LOVED that it didn't fall into the "gay for you" category that so many m/m books seem to (gross) and instead had actual bisexual representation. a TINY bit too angsty for me in a few parts, but barely. would read again. (note: i read a really good review that kind of tore this book apart, and. i actually agree with all of it. but i also don't, bc i thought it was good. is the bar too low with m/m romance? yeah, yeah it is. this was still really fun and indulgent though, so idk.)
• The Foxhole Court (All For The Game, #1) - Nora Sakavic ◉◉◉◎◎
  • 3 stars - interesting
• The Raven King (All For The Game, #2) - Nora Sakavic ◉◉◉◉◎
  • 4 stars - 4 what the fUCK stars
• The King's Men (All For The Game, #3) - Nora Sakavic ◉◉◉◉◉
  • 5 stars - holy shit 5 stars 5393483 stars all the stars.
• The Understatement of the Year (The Ivy Years, #3) - Sarina Bowen ◉◉◉◎◎
  • 3 stars - wanted to like this more than i did. it was definitely not BAD, but a little too angsty. i partially understand the fear the characters felt, but it was also a little too much to take on as the reader. but it was a sweet story. not as good as him, which was partially why i felt a little let down. hard to not compare the two.
• Perfection (Neighbor from Hell, #2) - R.L. Mathewson ◎◎◎◎◎
  • 0 stars - i don't even want to review this trash book. at 75% i was just skimming, and i sped-read through to the end just to get it over with. actually garbage. it has SUCH a high rating on goodreads which is absolutely shocking to me.
• Come Dancing (Jack and Julia, #1) - Leslie Wells ◉◐◎◎◎
  • 1.5 stars - part of me wants to give this 0 stars because it was bad and annoyed the heck outta me. but there were some fun parts, i guess ... kinda. not really. anyway yeah hard pass.
• Lick (Stage Dive, #1) - Kylie Scott ◉◉◉◉◎
  • 4 stars - tbh this pinged me just bc of the fake dating trope. i'm sorry i'm that person. but it was super fun! the leads were both cute and i liked their story. i'd probably read it again, so i rated it 4 stars instead of 3.5.
• Play (Stage Dive, #2) - Kylie Scott ◉◉◉◎◎
  • 3 stars - a little less engaging than the first, mostly just because the main girl didn't quite ... translate to me. she seemed a bit too flat. but it was still a cute and fun, light read. hashtag no regrets.
• Lead (Stage Dive, #3) - Kylie Scott ◉◉◉◉◎
  • 4 stars - really liked this! both the mcs were sweet. i guess i ended up liking the two brothers from this band more than the rest of the characters :')
• Deep (Stage Dive, #4) - Kylie Scott ◉◉◉◎◎
  • 3 stars - i feel like rating this a little lower just because i honestly absolutely hate anything pregnancy-related in books, accidental or otherwise. but it was dealt with pretty good, and i still liked both the main characters. it was a TAD too angsty just bc the love interest was a little ... much with his stubbornness for a little bit. but it resolved pretty fast.
• Beauty - Robin McKinley ◉◉◉◉◐
• Suddenly One Summer - Julie James ◉◉◉◐◎
  • 3.5 stars - one of the many books i found through the smart bitches trashy books newsletter, nabbed it because it sounded cute and was set in chicago! AND about neighbors falling in love! it was super cute and fun and i loved both the mcs. maybe would read again? not sure, so i kept it at 3.5.
• Something About You (FBI/US Attorney, #1) - Julie James ◉◉◉◉◎
  • 4 stars - because i liked the first julie james book i read so much, i decided to seek out the rest of her books, and found out she wrote an entire series of fbi/us attorney romance novels. all set in chicago. imagine a very girlish excited scream here. this book was so fun, the writing was great and i really connected to the characters. also, it was well researched and knew what it was talking about, in the best and most natural way. loved it.
• A Lot Like Love (FBI/US Attorney, #2) - Julie James ◉◉◉◐◎
• About That Night (FBI/US Attorney, #3) - Julie James ◉◉◉◎◎
• Love Irresistibly (FBI/US Attorney, #4) - Julie James ◉◉◉◐◎
• It Happened One Wedding (FBI/US Attorney, #5) - Julie James ◉◉◉◉◎
• The Magpie Lord (A Charm of Magpies, #1) - K.J. Charles ◉◉◉◉◐
• A Case of Possession (A Charm of Magpies, #2) - K.J. Charles ◉◉◉◉◎
• Six of Crows - Leigh Bardugo ◉◉◉◉◉
  • 5 stars - perfect book. everything i want from a book and more. such lush world-building, immersive writing, strong characters, perfect tempo/pacing. i seriously have no gripes, i went out and bought the hardcover.
• Flight of Magpies (A Charm of Magpies, #3) - K.J. Charles ◉◉◉◉◎
• Half Bad (Half Bad #1) - Sally Green ◉◉◉◎◎
  • 3 stars - i have a really strong love/hate relationship with this book. i got almost constantly frustrated reading it. i would never recommend it to anyone. but ... i did enjoy it? i literally can't with this book, it's so frustrating.
• Hex Hall (Hex Hall, #1) - Rachel Hawkins ◉◉◐◎◎
  • 2.5 stars - i rounded this up to 3 stars on goodreads bc it was really light but enjoyable. still debating if i want to read the other two in the series.
• Cut & Run (Cut & Run, #1) - Abigail Roux ◉◉◐◎◎
  • 2.5 stars - i really wanted to like this book! the first third of it was so fun! but it started to get muddy and obnoxious in the middle, i guessed the 'bad guy' way too easily, and by the end i just was happy it was over. i considered reading the next book in the series (bc there is no HEA, and i kinda need it) but i don't care enough right now. maybe i'll try again later.
• Boomerang - Noelle August ◉◉◉◉◎
  • 4 stars - this was so sweet and fun. i laughed a lot and i loved both the main characters. the ending was a tad rushed but it was really enjoyable. would read again.
• In the Middle of Somewhere - Roan Parrish ◉◉◉◎◎
  • 3 stars - i actually started this and dropped it at 20%. but i decided to pick it back up again and i'm actually glad i did. the first 40% is slloooowww. but once it picks up pace, it's a really cute book.
• The Goal (Off-Campus, #4) - Elle Kennedy ◉◉◉◐◎
  • 3.5 stars - am i giving this 3.5 instead of just 3 stars bc i love this series and loved the last three books? probably. i understood why sabrina was the way she was, but it was frustrating to watch happen. ig it did work, in a way, because the reason WHY tucker was so great for her was because he was patient. still, i just didn't really get into her. also i'm basically always going to dock a star or two for pregnancy, sorry to be that person. this review took the words out of my mouth.
• Breakaway (Scoring Chances, #1) - Avon Gale ◉◉◉◎◎
  • 3 stars - i started this months ago, got about 10% in and got distracted, so i just decided to pick it up and plow through it so i could move on. and actually it surprised me how sweet this was. i normally really dislike age gaps, but this one wasn't terrible, and i loved both the mcs. in the beginning i couldn't quite understand lane's way of thinking? but i just rolled with it and it was great. very cute book. 3 stars bc i'm not sure if i'd read it again, but i would probably recommend it!
• Us (Him, #2) - Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy ◉◉◉◎◎
  • 3 stars - this is going to be long. okay i really wasn't sure if i was going to read this or not tbh. but i was jetlagged and wide awake in the middle of the night so i opened this up and blew through it in about 4hrs. i think if i hadn't, this book would've been awful. it's not a secret that i absolutely loved the first book in this series, and part of me didn't want to read any more because the end of the first book was perfect. anyway i think this could've been better, i enjoyed some parts, but the baseline of miscommunication soured this entire book for me. i get why it was used. but i just wish they'd gone in a different direction. one of these stars goes entirely to wes' team, including blake, all their scenes melted my heart. another star goes to wes' televised interview, and the subsequent scenes after all the way up to the end. absolutely killed me. and one star goes to the sex scenes. lmao ... seriously. scorching. anyway, i would 100% recommend the first book. this one, only if you'd read the first and were bored with 4hrs on hand. ah well. apparently there will be a 3rd book ... which i'm sure i'll read. i can't really let go of these two sweet butts. "how hard is it?" :)
• Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe - Benjamin Alire Sáenz ◉◉◉◉◐
  • 4.5 stars - part of me wants to rate this 5 stars because it was absolutely perfect and soft and pure, but it also made me sad and emotional. i actually rounded down to 4 on goodreads ... idk. the ending was amazing, and it was just a great journey. i might change my mind later? i will def reread it at some point. edit, a few days later: i changed my mind and rounded up to 5 on goodreads. it took me a few days to digest this book, i think.