ARC, Books

Book 812: The Step Back – J.T. Bushnell

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this. I saw a meh review (that was still four stars) on Goodreads so that definitely made me hesitant to start. But, I’d already told the publisher I’d take a look at it, so I did.*

The Step Back is the story of Ed Garrison. There’s not a lot that happens other than he grows the f*ck up. It sounds weird saying it’s that simple—sure it’s a two-year period in his life is full of upheaval and maturing faster than he want—but in essence that’s what it is.

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Books

Book 809: Heartstopper, Vol. 3 (Heartstopper #3) – Alice Oseman

[Check out my updated (Feb 2022) response to Heartstopper Vol. 3 here.]

Well, my organized reading list has already been disrupted. I pre-ordered this back in December and didn’t really forget that I ordered it, but forgot when it was supposed to arrive. So, when it arrived while I was out of town last week I knew I couldn’t put off reading it—and frankly I’m impressed I lasted the four days I did!

These are so stinking adorable. I can’t believe I’ve managed to keep myself from finishing the series on the website, knowing it’s there! So, kudos to me for having some self-restraint in some part of my life 😀 If only I could figure out how to do that with food . . . I know for sure there’s at least one more, I’ve ordered it already, but I’m not sure how many more she’ll squeeze in between this and Solitaire.

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Books

Book 805: The Prophets – Robert Jones, Jr.

This was a stunning debut novel. Jones (re)created a world that draws you in and takes you on an emotional journey. There were so many side/back stories that I wanted to know so much more about! It’s amazing he got as much into the story as he did, I can’t fathom trying to cut back or reign in the story.

The real problem is my digital copy was due back before I finished typing up my response so I can’t actually use characters names for those side stories/back stories so I’m just going to have to gloss over them—booo.

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Books

Book 802: The House in the Cerulean Sea – T.J. Klune

I knew I was going to like this going in because of how much I enjoyed the quirkiness of Klune’s The Extraordinaries, but I didn’t know I would like it this much! I’m now desperate for Flash Fire (the sequel to The Extraordinaries), but have months to wait!

The House on the Cerulean Sea is the story of Linus Baker, a cog in the machine that is the Department in Charge of Magical Youth (DICOMY). He is sent to Marsayas to investigate the orphanage run by Arthur Parnassus, an extraordinary caretaker who cares for and teaches his wards but has his own secret.

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Books

Book 799: Teddy Spenser Isn’t Looking for Love – Kim Fielding

Some days those emails from Amazon with the deal of the day books really get it right 😀 In general I avoid buying MM romance novels because I read them so fast I don’t feel like I get my money’s worth when really, I absolutely do. I just know that if I bought everyone I wanted I’d be broke all the time. Plus, it’s a great opportunity to support my local library by checking them out. This time though I was too impatient!

I grabbed a copy of this earlier in the month with no intentions of reading it and yet here I am. I needed some padding for another galley and this was right there on my Kindle front page, what else was I supposed to do?

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