Short AF Book Review | We Called Them Giants | ARC Received By Netgalley

 Hi friends! So today I'm going to be doing a review on "We Called Them Giants" by Kieron Gillen, Stephanie Hans & Clayton Cowles. This review is going to be short and sweet (like the title suggests) and spoiler free (however there will be the Goodreads synopsis in this and sometimes it can contain spoilers so please keep that in mind!)

"We Called Them Giants is a story of communication across a chasm at the end of the world.

Lori wakes to find the streets empty. Everyone has gone. Or at least, nearly everyone. She's been thrown into a world where she has to scrape by in the ruins of civilization, nearly starving, hiding from gangs when...

They arrive.

The award - winning team behind dark fantasy smash DIE release their first stand alone original graphic novel."

So the reason I applied for this ARC is genuinely because the cover looked GORGEOUS and I've really been enjoying reading graphic novels. Friends this one did not disappoint. Just like the cover, the artwork throughout this story was absolutely beautiful and made all of the little moments throughout the story amazing to read. I read this in one sitting as it was such a short story (the ARC was 106 pages long) and it just captivated me from the start. This story truly is one of hope and is full of character growth, especially with our main character Lori, considering there's such a small cast of characters. The story genuinely left me on the edge of myself and left me wanting more. That, however, was also the only downside I really had with this comic book and is the only reason it has not received a 5 star from me. I want to know more, and as it's been advertised as a "standalone" story I don't think I'm going to get the answers I want. Overall, other than wanting a bit more I adored this story, and will definitely be picking it up when it comes out!

I gave this book a 4/5 star rating on Goodreads!

This book is going to be released 12th November 2024!

What did you think of this book? Who were your favourite or least favourite characters? Do you have any books you'd recommend for me to read and do a review on? Please let me know down in the comments below!

Have a wonderful day!

Love, Doe!

Short AF Book Review | Eat Your Heart Out Vol. 1 | ARC Received By Netgalley

 Hi friends! So today I'm going to be doing a review on "Eat Your Heart Out Vol.1" by Terry Blas, Matty Newton, & Lydia Anslow. This review is going to be short and sweet (like the title suggests) and spoiler free (however there will be the Goodreads synopsis in this and sometimes it can contain spoilers so please keep that in mind!)

"The Great British Bake Off Meets Project Runway in this modern coming - of - age fashion fairytale about pursuing your passion.

Blanca is running away. Away from her mother - the overbearing and strict Riena - and her mother's narrow idea of what shape Blanca's life should take. While Riena finds Blanca's dream of pursuing fashion design a wasteful flight of fancy, Blanca sees possibility... and she knows if she doesn't leave now, she might never. Of course, following your passion isn't easy, and when Blanca arrives in New York City without a job or a roof over her head, she's rescued by a kindly baker named Emile, who takes her in. With Emile comes their eclectic group of six friends, all living in the same brownstone, who welcome Blanca into their weird, wonderful family. With them, Blanca learns that her fairy - tale journey can't begin until she stops running away from her problems and starts running toward her dream."

So the reason I applied for this ARC is because, as I always say, I adore queer storytelling. Friends this graphic novel did not disappoint. I read through this so quickly (literally in one sitting) and just ate this story up. There was not a single character (other than Riena) in this book that I did not like. This was such a feel good read from the get go and I found myself smiling the whole way through the story. My favourite thing about this book, is that yes, Blanca, the main character is obviously the main part of the story, but the authors of this graphic novel gave so much consideration and information around the other central characters in the story, diving not only into their wants and needs now, but their past lives also. I will say, you may need google translate for a couple of the pages of the novel, as Blanca speaks in Spanish with her friends/family throughout some of the novel, but please don't let that put you off because these pages are so sweet and really deserve the amount of love that was put into them. The cast of characters was also so diverse and the authors truly put something for everyone in this graphic novel. The artwork is also absolutely stunning, I adore the artstyle so much and it made it so easy on my eyes to read through. My only downside to this book, is that I have to wait until 2025 to read volume 2. It cannot come soon enough. I will absolutely be picking up a physical copy of this graphic novel when it comes out and I implore that you do also.

My Favourite Characters:

Blanca: So Blanca is our main character but I love how kind she is to everyone and truly shows that a little compassion can go a long way.

Emile: Emily legitimately saw this girl, saw she needed a place to stay and took her in. I love him so much.

Cat: Cat is such a small character in the story, but she is GORGEOUS. I loved all of the scenes with her in.

My Least Favourite Characters:

Riena: This woman is drawn and acts like the typical villain you would see in a fairytale. I hope her and Blanca do see eye to eye at some point, but for now she scares me.

I gave this book a 5/5 star rating on Goodreads!

This book is going to be released 13th August 2024!

 What did you think of this book? Who were your favourite or least favourite characters? Do you have any books you'd recommend for me to read and do a review on? Please let me know down in the comments below!

Have a wonderful day!

Love, Doe!

What I Read Last Week | 20th May - 26th May

Hi friends, so today we're going to be getting into what I read last week and how much of the book I read each day! This will include the Goodreads synopsis (which can sometimes contain spoilers) and my overall rating if I've finished them during the week!

Tender Is The Flesh | Agustina Bazterrica

"Working at the local processing plant, Marcos is in the business of slaughtering humans - though no one calls them that anymore.

His wife has left him, his father is sinking into dementia, and Marcos tries not to think too hard about how he makes a living. After all, it happened so quickly. First, it was reported that an infectious virus has made all animal meat poisonous to humans. Then governments initiated the 'Transition.' Now, eating human meat - 'special meat' - is legal. Marcos tries to stick to numbers, consignments, processing.

Then one day he's given a gift: a live specimen of the finest quality. Though he's aware that any form of personal contact is forbidden on pain of death, little by little he starts to treat her like a human being. And soon, he becomes tortured by what has been lost - and what might still be saved."

Monday: 35 pages

Tuesday: 0 pages

Wednesday: 29 pages

Thursday: 25 pages

Friday: 31 pages - finished

My Goodreads Rating: 2/5 stars

ARC | Lady Eve's Last Con | Rebecca Fraimow

"Hearts will race and anti-grav boots will fly in this scifi rom - com perfect for fans of WINTER'S ORBIT and THE RED SCHOLAR'S WAKE.

Ruth Johnson and her sister Jules have been small - time hustlers on the interstellar cruise lines for years. But then Jules fell in love with one of their targets, Esteban Mendez-Yuki, sole heir to the family insurance fortune. Esteban seemed to love her too, until she told him who she really was, at which point he fled without a word.

Now Ruth is set on disguised as provincial debutante Evelyn Ojukwu and set for the swanky satellite New Monte, she's going to make Esteban fall in love with her, then break his heart and take half his fortune. At least, that's the plan. But Ruth hadn't accounted for his younger sister, Sol, a brilliant mind in a dashing suit... and much harder to fool.

Sol is hot on Ruth's tail, and as the two women learn each other's tricks, Ruth must decide between going after the money and going after her heart."

Saturday: 9 pages - DNF

ARC | Eat Your Heart Out Vol. 1 | Terry Blas & Matty Newton

"The Great British Bake Off Meets Project Runway in this modern coming - of - age fashion fairytale about pursuing your passion.

Blanca is running away. Away from her mother - the overbearing and strict Riena - and her mother's narrow idea of what shape Blanca's life should take. While Riena finds Blanca's dream of pursuing fashion design a wasteful flight of fancy, Blanca sees possibility... and she knows if she doesn't leave now, she might never. Of course, following your passion isn't easy, and when Blanca arrives in New York City without a job or a roof over her head, she's rescued by a kindly baker named Emile, who takes her in. With Emile comes their eclectic group of six friends, all living in the same brownstone, who welcome Blanca into their weird, wonderful family. With them, Blanca learns that her fairy - tale journey can't begin until she stops running away from her problems and starts running toward her dream."

Sunday: 114 pages - finished
My Goodreads Rating: 5/5 stars

And that is everything that I ended up reading last week! Have you read any of these books? How quickly did you get through them? What are your thoughts and feelings about them? Let me know down in the comments below!

Have a wonderful day!

Love, Doe!

Short AF Book Review | Tender Is The Flesh

 Hi friends! So today I'm going to be doing a review on "Tender Is The Flesh" by Agustina Bazterrica. This review is going to be short and sweet (like the title suggests) and spoiler free (however there will be the Goodreads synopsis in this and sometimes it can contain spoilers so please keep that in mind!)

"Working at the local processing plant, Marcos is in the business of slaughtering humans - though no one calls them that anymore.

His wife has left him, his father is sinking into dementia, and Marcos tries not to think too hard about how he makes a living. After all, it happened so quickly. First, it was reported that an infectious virus has made all animal meat poisonous to humans. Then governments initiated the 'Transition'. Now, eating human meat - 'special meat' - is legal. Marcos tries to stick to numbers, consignments, processing.

Then one day he's given a gift: a live specimen of the finest quality. Though he's aware that any form of personal contact is forbidden on pain of death, little by little he starts to treat her like a human being. And soon, he becomes tortured by what has been lost - and what might still be saved."

So the reason I wanted to read "Tender Is The Flesh" is because this book has been recommended to me so much on booktok and my friend had a copy which she very kindly lent for me to read. Unfortunately for me, I really did not enjoy this one. I don't know if it was due to the way that this was advertised to me or if it was just the way the book was written, but friends, I was really bored reading this book. This was advertised to me as a dystopian horror and whilst I understand that the topics in this book are meant to horrific, it just didn't grip or scare me in the way that other horrors do. Most of what happened in the book just felt so mundane for the world that they were living in, and I honestly thought it was going to be a lot more graphic than it actually was. If anything, the book made me more sad for some of what happened rather than scared. The only reason I finished this book was because it was only 210 pages but maybe I should have just DNF'd it closer to the start or half way through. I just felt myself not wanting to pick this up but I wanted to give it a good chance because of how much people adore this book. It just wasn't the one for me. If you do read this book, I would go into it knowing it is more dystopian than horror, but also definitely check the trigger warnings too. For me, personally, I wouldn't recommend it.

My Favourite / Least Favourite Characters:

Honestly, all of the characters in this book were awful humans. I do not have favourites or least favourites because I disliked them all.

I gave this book a 2/5 star rating on Goodreads!

What did you think of this book? Who were your favourite or least favourite characters? Do you have any books you'd recommend for me to read and do a review on? Please let me know down in the comments below!

Have a wonderful day!

Love, Doe!

Short AF Book Review | Something To Be Proud Of | ARC Received By Netgalley

 Hi friends! So today I'm going to be doing a review on "Something To Be Proud Of" by Anna Zoe Quirke. This review is going to be short and sweet (like the title suggests) and spoiler free (however there will be the Goodreads synopsis in this and sometimes it can contain spoilers so please keep that in mind!)

"Imogen Quinn is a chaotic bisexual with dreams of becoming a stand - up comedian, crushing stereotypes about autistic people. When she decides to put on a pride festival that's accessible for everyone, she enlists the help of the openly gay captain of the football team, Ollie Armstrong.

Dealing with the fallout from his parents' divorce, Ollie is initially hesitant. But it doesn't take long for him to be swept up by Imogen's passion, and he's not the only one. Joined by the (infuriatingly perfect) head girl, musicians, an artist and a star baker - a dream team soon assembles to help plan pride and tackle injustices in their school and beyond. You better listen out - they're getting ready to make some noise.

Packed full of fun, forever friendships and fighting back, this YA debut is perfect for fans of I Kissed Shara Wheeler, Gwen and Art are Not in Love, Feel Good, Heartstopper and Not My problem"

I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley, however all opinions are my own

So the reason I wanted to read this book is because I saw it on Netgalley and I LOVE queer storytelling so I applied for it. Friends, I am ecstatic that I got the ARC of this book and will 100% be buying a physical copy when the book comes out. The storytelling in this book is hilarious, heart-warming and incredibly beautiful. I've never seen a book that has autistic, disabled, and queer representation and had such a diverse cast of characters. Anna, like Imogen, definitely wanted representation in their book for everyone and you will definitely find yourself relating to at LEAST one of their characters. As a disabled queer person my heart was filled to see so many characters that I could easily relate to. This book was so easy to just pick up and read, and I found myself picking this up whenever I had a spare moment (which says something considering I've had such a busy week). I found myself giggling so much whilst reading this book and was really rooting for the characters to reach their goals. I loved every moment of reading this book, and would 100% recommend this to anyone who'd love to read a beautiful, queer story.

My Favourite Characters:

Imogen: I loved so much how Imogen was just very much unapologetically herself. Her character growth throughout the book was incredible and I loved seeing her find her people.

Amelia: Amelia was honestly my favourite side character. Her character growth was also incredible and I loved her more and more with each and every chapter.

Auntie Septic: Auntie Septic is actually a very small character within the book, but I adored her and genuinely wish we had more of her

My Least Favourite Characters:

Oliver's dad: I'm not gonna lie friends, I loathed Oliver's dad. I can't say much more.

Ms Greenacre: I despised Ms Greenacre throughout the whole book. 0/10 teacher.

I gave this book a 5/5 star rating on Goodreads!

This book is going to be released 6th June 2024!

 What did you think of this book? Who were your favourite or least favourite characters? Do you have any books you'd recommend for me to read and do a review on? Please let me know down in the comments below!

Have a wonderful day!

Love, Doe!

What I Read Last Week | 13th May - 19th May

 

Hi friends, so today we're going to be getting into what I read last week and how much of the book I read each day! This will include the Goodreads synopsis (which can sometimes contain spoilers) and my overall rating if I've finished them during the week!

ARC | Something To Be Proud Of | Anna Zoe Quirke

"Imogen Quinn is a chaotic bisexual with dreams of becoming a stand - up comedian, crushing stereotypes about autistic people. When she decides to put on a pride festival that's accessible for everyone, she enlists the help of the openly gay captain of the football team, Ollie Armstrong.

Dealing with the fallout from his parents' divorce, Ollie is initially hesitant. But it doesn't take long for him to be swept up by Imogen's passion, and he's not the only one. Joined by the (infuriatingly perfect) head girl, musicians, an artist and a star baker - a dream team soon assembles to help plan pride and tackle injustices in their school and beyond. You better listen out - they're getting ready to make some noise.

Packed full of fun, forever friendships and fighting back, this YA debut is perfect for fans of I Kissed Shara Wheeler, Gwen and Art are Not in Love, Feel Good, Heartstopper and Not My problem"

Monday: 181 pages

Tuesday: 0 pages

Wednesday: 0 pages

Thursday: 33 pages

Friday: 0 pages

Saturday: 71 pages - finished

My Goodreads Rating: 5/5 stars

Tender Is The Flesh | Agustina Bazterrica

"Working at the local processing plant, Marcos is in the business of slaughtering humans - though no one calls them that anymore.

His wife has left him, his father is sinking into dementia, and Marcos tries not to think too hard about how he makes a living. After all, it happened so quickly. First, it was reported that an infectious virus has made all animal meat poisonous to humans. Then governments initiated the 'Transition.' Now, eating human meat - 'special meat' - is legal. Marcos tries to stick to numbers, consignments, processing.

Then one day he's given a gift: a live specimen of the finest quality. Though he's aware that any form of personal contact is forbidden on pain of death, little by little he starts to treat her like a human being. And soon, he becomes tortured by what has been lost - and what might still be saved."

Saturday: 14 pages

Sunday: 76 pages

And that is everything that I ended up reading last week! Have you read any of these books? How quickly did you get through them? What are your thoughts and feelings about them? Let me know down in the comments below!

Have a wonderful day!

Love, Doe!

My Favourite Webtoons!

Hi friends! So recently one of my favourite webtoons has ended (my heart is full but broken), so I thought I'd take this opportunity to talk about my top  favourite webtoons! I will try to make this post as spoiler free as possible however I will be including the webtoon description in this post and I can't guarantee they won't have spoilers so please keep that in mind! These will be in no order other than the last one is my number 1!

Hyperfocus | Kip Trevor

"Scenes from my life as a trans guy (he/him), illustrated"

Honestly I love Kip's art so much and I really appreciate how deeply he dives into his experience of being a trans person and how it effects his life. The episodes make for some nice quick reads and I'm so happy he found a platform where he can express himself in his fullest.

Heartstopper | Alice Oseman

"Charlie, a highly - strung, openly gay over - thinker, and Nick, a cheerful, soft - hearted rugby player, meet at a British all - boys grammar school. Friendship blooms quickly, but could there be something more...?"

Honestly I was so late to the Heartstopper game it's a little embarrassing. I refused to watch the tv series until I had caught up with the webtoon though and now that I have, I probably should get round to watching it. This series does hit with some hard hitting topics, so please check trigger warnings. But I'm completely here for the gay romance. I adore this series so much.

Honey And Sweetheart | Hellosushizzy

"Honey's crush of 2 years paid off when Sweetheart agreed to date him and from then on it's been a fun roller coaster. In this slice of life romance, catch moments of their goofy, real life relationship."

So I'm not gonna lie friends, Honey and Sweetheart hasn't actually been updated since 2021, but I binged this series so fast. I adored seeing the little comics about their relationship and even if they're not on webtoons anymore, I hope they're doing well! If you want a cute little realistic slice of life, this is for you!

Loving Reaper | Jenny Jinya

"Animals struggle. Pets and Wildlife alike. The reaper cares for their stories and helps them with the crossover. Short stories about the 'Loving Reaper' to raise awareness and collect funds. Breaking hearts for a good cause."

I'm not gonna lie to you friends this webtoons is mostly heart-breaking, but it also hits some topics which really do need to be talked about, and hopefully brings a bit of awareness about animals going through what they go through in this comic. I adore the activism done through this comic and I hope more people read it!

Lore Olympus | Rachel Smythe

"Witness what the gods do... after dark. The friendships and the lies, the gossip and the wild parties, and of course, forbidden love. Because it turns out, the gods aren't so different from us after all, especially when it comes to their problems. Stylish and immersive, this is one of mythology's greatest stories -- The Taking of Persephone -- as it's never been told before"

If you read the first part of the blog and didn't know that my favourite was going to be Lore Olympus please go on webtoons and read it in it's entirety. I have been reading this series (mostly on fast pass too) every single week since Season 2 came out. I was not prepared for it to end and I cried so much reading that last chapter. This was the whole reason I downloaded webtoons and if you're going to do anything today friends, download webtoons, read Lore Olympus, fall in love with Rachel Smythe's art and writing like I have. This one also hits some heavy hitting topics so please check trigger warnings, but I promise you, you will not be disappointed by this one!

And those are my favourite webtoons! Were any of yours in this list? Do you have any webtoons you'd recommend for me to read? Please let me know down in the comments below!

Have a wonderful day!

Love, Doe!

Short AF Book Review | Butcher & Blackbird

Hi friends! So today I'm going to be doing a review on "Butcher & Blackbird" by Brynne Weaver. This review is going to be short and sweet (like the title suggests) and spoiler free (however there will be the Goodreads synopsis in this and sometimes it can contain spoilers so please keep that in mind!)

"Every serial killer needs a friend.
Every game must have a winner.

When a chance encounter sparks an unlikely bond between rival murderers Sloane and Rowan, the two find something elusive - the friendship of a like - minded, pitch - black soul. From small town West Virginia to upscale California, from downtown Boston to rural Texas, the two hunters collide in an annual game of blood and suffering, one that pits them against the most dangerous monsters in the country. But as their friendship develops into something more, the restless ghosts left in their wake are only a few steps behind, ready to claim more than just their newfound love. Can Rowan and Sloane dig themselves out of a game of graves? Or have they finally met their match?

Butcher & Blackbird is the first book in the Ruinous Love Dark Romance trilogy of interconnected stand - alone dark romantic comedies. This dual POV novel ends on a HEA."

So, I finally did it friends, I finally caved into reading a book with smut. The reasons I wanted to read this book is because 1: even though this is a dark romance, a lot of people mentioned how funny this book was to them and I wanted to see what I was missing out on and 2: it was part of Amazon's 99p deal, so I thought if I didn't like it due to not usually enjoying smut books then it wasn't too much of a loss to me. I ADORED this book friends. First of all, I feel like booktok does this book an injustice by saying that it's a "smutty book" because, yes, there is smut, HOWEVER, it's only around 4 small chapters and a few comments here and there. I definitely feel like it's appropriate to call this book a "book with smut" but the book is SO much more than that. This book was hilarious most of the way through and I loved the witty banter and chemistry between our two main characters. It was also dual POV which I really loved because it gave us so much more insight into their relationship developing with each other. The character growth between the main characters was incredible to read. I also loved that the author made all of the side characters (who weren't the bad ones) loveable too and I cannot wait to learn more about their stories in the upcoming books! I will definitely be picking up a physical copy of this book for my library and will also definitely be reading the next two books in the series! Please, even if you're not that much into smut books like me, do yourself a favour and read this book. I could not recommend it enough. (But remember, as always, check the trigger warnings too!)

My Favourite Characters:

Rowan: Listen, I have a thing for the Irish accent, and someone who's Irish and sarcastic and funny was always going to be a favourite character of mine. I love Rowan so much.

Lark: Lark is Sloane's best friend and I loved seeing how supportive she was throughout the entire book. We could all use a best friend like Lark.

My Least Favourite Characters:

ALL of the bad serial killers. I think that one would be obvious!

I gave this book a 5/5 star rating on Goodreads!

What did you think of this book? Who were your favourite or least favourite characters? Do you have any books you'd recommend for me to read and do a review on? Please let me know down in the comments below!

Have a wonderful day!

Love, Doe!

What I Read Last Week | 6th May - 12th May

Hi friends, so today we're going to be getting into what I read last week and how much of the book I read each day! This will include the Goodreads synopsis (which can sometimes contain spoilers) and my overall rating if I've finished them during the week!

ARC | Hey, Zoey | Sarah Crossan

"Dolores O'Shea's marriage collapses when she discovers her husband's AI sex doll in the garage. When she moves 'Zoey' into the house, they become oddly bonded, opening the door to a lifetime of repressed feelings and memories. Darkly funny and endlessly sharp, Hey, Zoey is a propulsive story of love, family, and trauma in our tech - buffered age of alienation as strange as it is familiar.

43 - year - old Dolores O'Shea is logical, organized, and prepared to handle whatever comes her way. She keeps up with her job and housework, takes care of her mentally declining mother, and remains close with her old friends and her younger sister who's moved to New York. Though her marriage with David, an anaesthesiologist, isn't what is used to be, nothing can quite prepare her for Zoey, the $8000 AI sex doll that David has secretly purchased and stuffed away in the garage. At first, Zoey sparks an uncharacteristically strong violence in Dolores, whose entire life is suddenly cast in doubt.

But then, Dolores and Zoey start to talk... and what surfaces runs deeper than Dolores could have ever expected, with consequences for all of the relationships in her life, especially her relationship to herself. Provocative, brilliant, and tender, Hey, Zoey is an electrifying new novel about the painful truths of modern - day connection and the complicated and unexpected forms that love can take in a lifetime."

Monday: 0 pages

Tuesday: 23 pages

Wednesday: 70 pages

Thursday: 16 pages - finished

My Goodreads Rating: 2/5 stars

ARC | Something To Be Proud Of | Anna Zoe Quirke

"Imogen Quinn is a chaotic bisexual with dreams of becoming a stand - up comedian, crushing stereotypes about autistic people. When she decides to put on a pride festival that's accessible for everyone, she enlists the help of the openly gay captain of the football team, Ollie Armstrong.

Dealing with the fallout from his parents' divorce, Ollie is initially hesitant. But it doesn't take long for him to be swept up by Imogen's passion, and he's not the only one. Joined by the (infuriatingly perfect) head girl, musicians, an artist and a star baker - a dream team soon assembles to help plan pride and tackle injustices in their school and beyond. You better listen out - they're getting ready to make some noise.

Packed full of fun, forever friendships and fighting back, this YA debut is perfect for fans of I Kissed Shara Wheeler, Gwen and Art are Not in Love, Feel Good, Heartstopper and Not My problem"

Thursday: 16 pages

Friday: 0 pages

Saturday: 0 pages

Sunday: 115 pages

And that is everything that I ended up reading last week! Have you read any of these books? How quickly did you get through them? What are your thoughts and feelings about them? Let me know down in the comments below!

Have a wonderful day!

Love, Doe!

Short AF Book Review | Hey, Zoey | ARC Received By Netgalley

 

Hi friends! So today I'm going to be doing a review on "Hey, Zoey" by Sarah Crossan. This review is going to be short and sweet (like the title suggests) and spoiler free (however there will be the Goodreads synopsis in this and sometimes it can contain spoilers so please keep that in mind!)

"Dolores O'Shea's marriage collapses when she discovers her husband's AI sex doll in the garage. When she moves 'Zoey' into the house, they become oddly bonded, opening the door to a lifetime of repressed feelings and memories. Darkly funny and endlessly sharp, Hey, Zoey is a propulsive story of love, family, and trauma in our tech - buffered age of alienation as strange as it is familiar.

43 - year - old Dolores O'Shea is logical, organized, and prepared to handle whatever comes her way. She keeps up with her job and housework, takes care of her mentally declining mother, and remains close with her old friends and her younger sister who's moved to New York. Though her marriage with David, an anaesthesiologist, isn't what is used to be, nothing can quite prepare her for Zoey, the $8000 AI sex doll that David has secretly purchased and stuffed away in the garage. At first, Zoey sparks an uncharacteristically strong violence in Dolores, whose entire life is suddenly cast in doubt.

But then, Dolores and Zoey start to talk... and what surfaces runs deeper than Dolores could have ever expected, with consequences for all of the relationships in her life, especially her relationship to herself. Provocative, brilliant, and tender, Hey, Zoey is an electrifying new novel about the painful truths of modern - day connection and the complicated and unexpected forms that love can take in a lifetime."

I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley, however all opinions are my own.

So the reason I wanted to read this is because I read the synopsis and thought that this was going to be such a cool read and really interesting to see how the MC and the AI doll would interact with each other. Friends, I could not have been more wrong. I REALLY wanted to love this story, but in all honesty, I wish I DNF'd it. This is a really short story with the ARC only being 163 pages long, but honestly it felt like such a drag to read. The story kept on jumping between the past and the present which made it really difficult to follow along with, and sometimes impossible to know where we were at in the story. I understand that most of our main character's life was meant to be dull and unfulfilling, but that didn't mean that the book had to be also. Then by the end we got these serious topics thrown at us out of nowhere with absolutely no trigger warnings or really any compassion. I feel like the author could've done a better job at making the characters more compassionate and not like they themselves were robots. Throughout most of the book (until the ending) there was only really one character who showed any real type of emotion and it wasn't even our MC. Then the ending, the ending was just too much all at once and it just felt rushed. Overall, I really didn't enjoy this book. Maybe I just don't like the style of writing but I don't think I will be picking up a Sarah Crossan book again.

My Favourite/Least Favourite Characters

I'm not going to be posting my favourite/least favourite characters, because honestly, I felt indifferent about most of them.

I have this book a 2/5 star rating on Goodreads!

This book is going to be released 23rd May 2024!

 What did you think of this book? Who were your favourite or least favourite characters? Do you have any books you'd recommend for me to read and do a review on? Please let me know down in the comments below!

Have a wonderful day!

Short AF Book Review | If Only I Had Told Her

 Hi friends! So today I'm going to be doing a review on "If Only I Had Told Her" by Laura Nowlin. This review is going to be short and sweet (like the title suggests) and spoiler free (however there will be the Goodreads synopsis in this and sometimes it can contain spoilers so please keep that in mind! Even more so for this as this is the second book in the series!)

"If only I'd told her that I loved her years ago, then I wouldn't be here now.

Finn has always loved Autumn. She's not just the girl next door or his mother's best friend's daughter, she is his everything. But she's not his girlfriend. That's Sylvie, and Finn would never hurt her, so there's no way Autumn could know how he truly feels.

Jack, Finn's best friend, isn't so sure. He's seen Finn and Autumn together. How could she not know? And how is he supposed to support and protect Finn when heartache seems inevitable?

Autumn surrounds herself with books and wants to write her own destiny - but one doesn't always get a new chapter and fate can be cruel to those in love.

Truth through three different perspectives, If Only I Had Told Her is a love story brimming with truth, tragedy, and unexpected bonds that heal us."

So the reason I wanted to read "If Only I Had Told Her" was because I loved reading "If He Had Been With Me" and thought the sequel was going to be just as good! Unfortunately for me, I was very wrong. It is not that I disliked this book, I just didn't feel that what the book was marketed initially as was true and I felt let down by some of the characters attributes. For example, this book was advertised as "If He Had Been With Me" from Finny's point of view, That is slightly true, we have Finny's point of view for about a 3rd of the book, but it's not his point of view from the start of the story we had within the first. Also I know Finny is an young adult, but why did they make him horny on main? I really loved Finny in the first book, and I feel like I glossed over a lot of what he did which was wrong, but this book really did shed a light on it, and even though I still liked him as a character, it definitely shifted my perspective on him. Finny was not the only character who's this book made me change my feelings about either, I really appreciated that we got to learn more about some of the side characters in this series and not just what Autumn thinks about them. I feel like the 3 points of view we got made it very easy to get to know everybody's side of the story as well finding out more about what happened after book 1. Overall, this book still made me cry, but I didn't find myself loving it as much as I loved the first, and I don't think I will be reading this one again. I would recommend this if you do want to know more of the story, but please go in knowing it's not "If He Had Been With Me" with Finny's perspective.

 My favourite characters:

Jack: We got to get to know Jack so much more in this book, and I really loved him as a character. He was such a good friend and did everything he possibly could to make everyone happy within his part of the story.

Angelina: Angelina was honestly my absolute favourite character in this book. I loved how she was handling absolutely everything and she was being there so much for Autumn despite what she was going through herself

My least favourite characters:

Finny's dad: I despised everything that Finny's dad did, I know the author tried to give him a small bit of redemption but I still very much loathe him.

I gave this book a 3/5 star rating on Goodreads.

What did you think of this book? Who were your favourite or least favourite characters? Do you have any books you'd recommend for me to read and do a review on? Please let me know down in the comments below!

Have a wonderful day!

Love, Doe!

What I Read Last Week | 29th April - 5th May

Hi friends, so today we're going to be getting into what I read last week and how much of the book I read each day! This will include the Goodreads synopsis (which can sometimes contain spoilers) and my overall rating if I've finished them during the week!

Butcher & Blackbird | Brynne Weaver

"Every serial killer needs a friend.

Every game must have a winner.

When a chance encounter sparks an unlikely bond between rival murderers Sloane and Rowan, the two find something elusive - the friendship of a like  minded, pitch black soul. From small town West Virginia to upscale California, from downtown Boston to rural Texas, the two hunters collide in an annual game of blood and suffering, one that pits them against the most dangerous monsters in the country. But as their friendship develops into something more, the restless ghosts left in their wake are only a few steps behind, ready to claim more than just their newfound love. Can Rowan and Sloane dig themselves out of a game of graves? Or have they finally met their match?

Butcher & Blackbird is the first book in the Ruinous Love Dark Romance trilogy of interconnected stand - alone dark romantic comedies. This dual POV novel ends on a HEA."

Monday: 58 pages

Tuesday: 0 pages

Wednesday: 66 pages

Thursday: 36 pages - finished

My Goodreads Rating: 5/5 stars

ARC | Root And Bone | Jessica Raney

"Leona Monroe and her sister, Jewel Spencer, lives in Ames, a sleepy little Appalachian town where nothing much happens. When it does, everyone knows everything - at leas they think they do. The Spencer sisters have more insight. They come from a long line of Granny Woman - healers, confidence keepers, and powerful magic wielders - able to see into the future, manipulate the natural world around them, and commune with the dead.

When a girl is brutally murdered, it's clear the local law enforcement has no idea what's really at play. So it falls on Leona and Jewel to dig deeper into the mystery. In the middle of the investigation, strangers come to Ames who prove powerful and dangerous, setting Leona and Jewel at odds with dark magic, vengeful ghosts, and each other.

With the help of a friendly spirit, the vast knowledge of their mentor, Granny Kay, and their own powerful magic, Leona and Jewel must work together to counter the evil descending upon their town. But their insecurities and fears prevent them from stopping another murder. They need to get it together. If their magic and sister bond isn't strong enough, their town with fall to darkness along with everything they hold dear."

Friday: 16 pages - DNF

ARC | Hey, Zoey | Sarah Crossan

"Dolores O'Shea's marriage collapses when she discovers her husband's AI sex doll in the garage. When she moves 'Zoey' into the house, they become oddly bonded, opening the door to a lifetime of repressed feelings and memories. Darkly funny and endlessly sharp, Hey, Zoey is a propulsive story of love, family, and trauma in our tech - buffered age of alienation as strange as it is familiar.

43 - year - old Dolores O'Shea is logical, organized, and prepared to handle whatever comes her way. She keeps up with her job and housework, takes care of her mentally declining mother, and remains close with her old friends and her younger sister who's moved to New York. Though her marriage with David, an anaesthesiologist, isn't what is used to be, nothing can quite prepare her for Zoey, the $8000 AI sex doll that David has secretly purchased and stuffed away in the garage. At first, Zoey sparks an uncharacteristically strong violence in Dolores, whose entire life is suddenly cast in doubt.

But then, Dolores and Zoey start to talk... and what surfaces runs deeper than Dolores could have ever expected, with consequences for all of the relationships in her life, especially her relationship to herself. Provocative, brilliant, and tender, Hey, Zoey is an electrifying new novel about the painful truths of modern - day connection and the complicated and unexpected forms that love can take in a lifetime."

Friday: 45 pages

Saturday: 0 pages

Sunday: 0 pages

And that is everything that I ended up reading last week! Have you read any of these books? How quickly did you get through them? What are your thoughts and feelings about them? Let me know down in the comments below!

Have a wonderful day!

Love, Doe!

Short AF Book Review | Good Girl, Bad Blood

 Hi friends! So today I'm going to be doing a review on "Good Girl, Bad Blood" by Holly Jackson. This review is going to be short and sweet (like the title suggests) and spoiler free (however there will be the Goodreads synopsis in this and sometimes it can contain spoilers so please keep that in mind! Even more so for this as this is the second book in the series!)

"Pip is not a detective anymore.

With the help of Ravi Singh, she released a true - crime podcast about the murder case they solved together last year. The podcast has gone viral, yet Pip insists her investigating days are behind her.

But she will have to break that promise when someone she knows goes missing. Jamie Reynolds has disappeared, on the very same night the town hosted a memorial for the sixth - year anniversary of the deaths of Andie Bell and Sal Singh.

The police won't do anything about it. And if they won't look for Jamie then Pip will, uncovering more of her town's dark secrets along the way... and this time everyone is listening. But will she find him before it's too late?"

So the reason I wanted to read "Good Girl, Bad Blood" is obviously because I very much loved the first book in the series and I'm trying to read the series before the TV show comes out! I did not know how Holly was going to continue this series as it seemed almost everything was wrapped up in the last book, and honestly friends, I couldn't of asked for a better sequel. I read this book in less than 2 days because it had me on the edge of my seat the whole time and I just wanted to know how this was all going to end. I've not been this invested in a story in such a long time and I honestly did not want to put this book down. Holly did a multitude of things I just didn't think was going to be possible: 1: There were so many twists and turns I truly did not expect to happen, every time we got deeper it seemed like more and more secrets came out that I just wasn't expecting. 2: I ended up feeling sad for people that I absolutely despised in the first book and did not know it was going to be possible for me to cry for characters I hated. 3: It also made me really dislike characters who I actually found likeable in the first book who I genuinely never thought I was going to feel that way about. Overall I loved every minute of this book and would definitely recommend this to anyone who just wants a good Mystery series to sit down with!

My Favourite Characters:

Pip: I still loved how much of a true crime girly boss Pip is and I hope she sticks with it for the last book!

Ravi: Ravi is still a literal angel in this book. My only downside is I wish we got more of him in this book than we did.

Cara: I love that Cara was still very much present in Pip's life and some of the one liners she came out with were honestly comedy gold.

My Least Favourite Characters:

Max: Max is still a piece of shit character. I still hate him.

Epps: Listen, I know Epps was probably just doing his job but it didn't make me dislike him any less.

I gave this book a 5/5 star rating on Goodreads.

What did you think of this book? Who were your favourite or least favourite characters? Do you have any books you'd recommend for me to read and do a review on? Please let me know down in the comments below!

Have a wonderful day!

Love, Doe

May Releases I'm Excited For

Hi friends! It's a new month so you know what that means! New book releases! I'm going to be showing you the books that I'm excited for that are coming out in May! If I've read the ARC I'll also be leaving my Goodreads rating for them! I will be including the Goodreads synopsis (and sometimes this can contain spoilers, so please be aware whilst reading!)

7th May

The Z Word | Lindsay King - Miller

Horror | Queer

Goodreads Average Rating: 4.05/5 stars

"'Sexy, scathing, delightful, and intimately devastating.' - Gretchen Fleker - Martin, author of Manhunt and Cuckoo.

Packed with action, humour, sex and big gay feelings, The Z World is the queer Zombieland you didn't know you needed.

Chaotic bisexual Wendy is trying to find her place in the queer community of San Lazaro, Arizona, after a bad breakup - which is particularly difficult because her ex is hooking up with some of her friends. And when the people around them start turning into violent, terrifying mindless husks, well, that makes things harder. Especially since the infection seems to be spreading.

Now, Wendy and her friends and frenemies - drag queen Logan, silver fox Beau, sword lesbian Aurelia and her wife Sam, mysterious pizza delivery stoner Sunshine, and, oh yeah, Wendy's ex - girlfriend Leah - have to team up to stay alive, save Pride, and track the zombie outbreak to it's shocking source. Hopefully without killing each other first.

The Z Word is a propulsive, funny, emotional horror debut about a found family coming together to fight corporate greed, political corruption, gay drama, and zombies."

9th May

Evenings And Weekends | Oisin McKenna

Fiction | Contemporary

Goodreads Average Rating: 4.17/5 stars

"For fans of Sally Rooney and Torrey Peters, a taut and profoundly moving debut that follows a cast of intricately linked characters during a heatwave in London as simmering tensions and secrets come to a head over one life - changing weekend.

London, 2019. It's the hottest June on record, and a whale is stuck in the Thames River. In the streets of the city, four old acquaintances want more form life than they've been given. On the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, their paths will intersect at a party that will change their lives forever...

Maggie, a once - hopeful artist turned waitress, is pregnant and preparing to move back to her hometown with her boyfriend and father - to - be Ed, leaving the city she loves and the life she imagined for herself.

Ed, coasting through life as a barely competent bike courier, is ready for a new start with Maggie and their baby, if only to finally leave behind his secret past of hooking up with strange men in train station bathrooms - and his secret past with Maggie's best friend, Phil.

Phil, who sleepwalks through his office job and lives for the weekends, is on the brink of achieving his first real relationship with his roommate Keith. The two live in an illegal warehouse commune with other quirky creatives and idealists - the site of the party to end all parties.

As the temperature continues to climb, Maggie, Ed and Phil will have to confront their shared pasts, current desires, and limits of their future lives together before the weekend is over.

Strikingly heartfelt, sexually charged, and disarmingly comic, Oison McKenna's addictive, page - turning debut is a mesmerizing dive into the soul of a city and a critical look at the political, emotional, and financial hurdles facing young adults trying to build lives there and often living for their evenings and weekends."

14th May

Root And Bone | Jessica Raney

Fantasy | Paranormal

Goodreads Average Rating: 3.38/5 stars

"Leona Monroe and her sister, Jewel Spencer, lives in Ames, a sleepy little Appalachian town where nothing much happens. When it does, everyone knows everything - at leas they think they do. The Spencer sisters have more insight. They come from a long line of Granny Woman - healers, confidence keepers, and powerful magic wielders - able to see into the future, manipulate the natural world around them, and commune with the dead.

When a girl is brutally murdered, it's clear the local law enforcement has no idea what's really at play. So it falls on Leona and Jewel to dig deeper into the mystery. In the middle of the investigation, strangers come to Ames who prove powerful and dangerous, setting Leona and Jewel at odds with dark magic, vengeful ghosts, and each other.

With the help of a friendly spirit, the vast knowledge of their mentor, Granny Kay, and their own powerful magic, Leona and Jewel must work together to counter the evil descending upon their town. But their insecurities and fears prevent them from stopping another murder. They need to get it together. If their magic and sister bond isn't strong enough, their town with fall to darkness along with everything they hold dear."

23rd May

Hey, Zoey | Sarah Crossan

Fiction | Contemporary

Goodreads Average Rating: 3.61/5 stars

"Dolores O'Shea's marriage collapses when she discovers her husband's AI sex doll in the garage. When she moves 'Zoey' into the house, they become oddly bonded, opening the door to a lifetime of repressed feelings and memories. Darkly funny and endlessly sharp, Hey, Zoey is a propulsive story of love, family, and trauma in our tech - buffered age of alienation as strange as it is familiar.

43 - year - old Dolores O'Shea is logical, organized, and prepared to handle whatever comes her way. She keeps up with her job and housework, takes care of her mentally declining mother, and remains close with her old friends and her younger sister who's moved to New York. Though her marriage with David, an anaesthesiologist, isn't what is used to be, nothing can quite prepare her for Zoey, the $8000 AI sex doll that David has secretly purchased and stuffed away in the garage. At first, Zoey sparks an uncharacteristically strong violence in Dolores, whose entire life is suddenly cast in doubt.

But then, Dolores and Zoey start to talk... and what surfaces runs deeper than Dolores could have ever expected, with consequences for all of the relationships in her life, especially her relationship to herself. Provocative, brilliant, and tender, Hey, Zoey is an electrifying new novel about the painful truths of modern - day connection and the complicated and unexpected forms that love can take in a lifetime."

And those are all the books I'm excited for to be released this month! What books are you excited for to come out? Were any of these on your list? If you read any of these what did you think of them? Let me know down in the comments below!

Have a wonderful day!

Love, Doe