Review: Night Shift

My love of romance books and basketball collided in the steamiest, most enjoyable way in Night Shift by Annie Crown. Our heroine is a voracious reader who works at her college library. Our hero is the star of the basketball team. And sparks FLY between them. I loved this book!

Here's the book's description:

The bookworm and the basketball player are about to meet their match.
Kendall Holiday spends her Friday nights exactly where she wants to with her head buried in a spicy romance novel while she works the graveyard shift at her university's library. She knows she could join her friends for a weekend of drunken debauchery and college parties, but she likes her alone time, so she tells herself she isn't hiding when she gets lost in the pages of fictional love stories.
But that all changes when Vincent Knight, captain of the basketball team, turns up with an injured wrist, a sour mood, and a pressing need for poetry recommendations for a class he hates. Vincent is tall, smart-mouthed, and challenges Kendall like no one has before. Suddenly, she's falling headfirst into her very own romance novel—but it takes a lot more truth than tropes to get to a happy ever after in real life.

My November TBR list was out of control with books I had requested to review. I stumbled upon Crown's and said, no, Kaley. You don't need another book. But I couldn't stop thinking about it. I am SO glad I caved and Wattpad gifted me with an egalley. I would have been so sad if I had missed out on this book!

It's been awhile since I've read a really good, solid New Adult book. I define a New Adult novel as one that takes place during college/university or in the year after graduation. You know, when you're trying to figure out who you are and what kind of adult you might be. (Which, honestly, we all know takes a lot longer than four years!) I started university (gulp) eighteen years ago so it's been a hot minute since I've been on campus. But Crown hit all the emotions I remember feeling when I was a student and I felt it was so so well done. The house Kendall and her friends shared may not have looked like the place I stayed with my own friends but that's the house I was picturing as they studied and had fun. The campus, library, and street where the basketball house was? All based on my own memories and the university I was at. I don’t know if others would have that same kind of reaction but I personally loved the little walk down memory lane as I read Crown’s novel.

Kendall was a huge romance reader, which is always fun to see. Obviously a romance author is going to be pro romance novels but it's nice to see authors take a stand in their books. Romance isn’t something to be looked down upon and it’s about damn time us romance readers embraced that and stopped being or pretend to be embarrassed by our reading choices. Though, I must say, I’m with Kendall on some of the covers. I may not be embarrassed by my reading choices but I’m not a fan of some of the cover designs. They can be better. I also appreciated how Kendall talked about the difference between a hero in real life versus in novels. Just because you enjoy reading about Alpha Males taking charge doesn't mean you actually want to date one. It was a refreshing take!

Kendall and Vincent fall prey to the miscommunication trope, a widely hated trope, but what made it bearable, and dare I say enjoyable, was that Kendall’s roommate called her on it. Like, duh, girl, stop spiralling and just go TALK to the guy! Talking is scary, absolutely, but I liked reading as Kendall put on her Big Girl Pants and worked on the budding relationship before anything completely disastrous could occur.

There aren’t sexy time scenes on every page, by any means, and the ones that are there were ridiculously well done. They were steamy and respectful, which is hot as hell, especially when the characters are on the younger side and one of them is a virgin. Plus, how many bookworms out there have imagined having a makeout session in the library? Kendall got to have that and I was HERE for it!

Romance readers will want to read Night Shift. I devoured Annie Crown’s novel in a weekend and was still thinking about it days later. It was smart, funny, sweet, and spicy and I enjoyed it so much. I’ll definitely be looking into what Crown writes next!

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, Wattpad Books, via NetGalley. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: The Bennet Women

There are so many great Jane Austen retellings out there and I am so thrilled about it. There's no way I'm ever going to be able to get to all of them but I'm really happy I was able to recently read The Bennet Women by Eden Appiah-Kubi. This debut novel was a modern spin on Pride and Prejudice and I couldn't get enough of it.

Here's the book's description:

Welcome to Bennet House, the only all-women’s dorm at prestigious Longbourn University, home to three close friends who are about to have an eventful year. EJ is an ambitious Black engineering student. Her best friend, Jamie, is a newly out trans woman studying French and theater. Tessa is a Filipina astronomy major with guy trouble. For them, Bennet House is more than a residence—it’s an oasis of feminism, femininity, and enlightenment. But as great as Longbourn is for academics, EJ knows it can be a wretched place to find love.
Yet the fall season is young and brimming with surprising possibilities. Jamie’s prospect is Lee Gregory, son of a Hollywood producer and a gentleman so charming he practically sparkles. That leaves EJ with Lee’s arrogant best friend, Will. For Jamie’s sake, EJ must put up with the disagreeable, distressingly handsome, not quite famous TV actor for as long as she can.
What of it? EJ has her eyes on a bigger prize, anyway: launching a spectacular engineering career in the “real world” she’s been hearing so much about. But what happens when all their lives become entwined in ways no one could have predicted—and EJ finds herself drawn to a man who’s not exactly a perfect fit for the future she has planned?

The novel follows the characters over the course of EJ and Jamie's final year at Longbourn. I liked how the story was laid out with it taking place over a calendar year and broken up based on important events. For example, it starts with the Fall Formal (aka the ball where Elizabeth and Darcy first meet) and then skips ahead to other significant parts of the story. The chapters and sections all vary in length so they're just as long or short as they need to be, which I really liked. 

The nods to Jane Austen's original story were fantastic. This is very much Appiah-Kubi's own story but she uses the plot points of Pride and Prejudice as her framework. I loved the little moments like when EJ (who I absolutely loved) shows up at the hospital when Jamie ends up there and she's covered in mud from a long hike in the woods, just like Elizabeth when she rushes to Jane's side after hearing she'd fallen ill on her way to see the Bingleys. Will is a fantastic modern day Darcy who shows off the snobby and heart of gold sides of his personality so well.

If I had to make one complaint, it would be that it very much felt like this novel was just EJ's story even with the chapters and perspectives from many of the other characters. Sometimes it was just one chapter, such as the case with Dia (the "Lydia" character). But with characters like Jamie, it was a bit different as it was like she was supposed to get as much attention as EJ but she got a bit overshadowed. It was great to get her perspective but I don't know if maybe there needed to be more from her or maybe even less? Then there was Tessa, who is mentioned along with the other two in the description but didn't feature nearly as much as I expected. I wouldn't call this a negative and it didn't take away from my reading enjoyment. I think it's important to note if you're not a fan of multiple perspectives because the uneven focus it might be more of a bother for you.

As someone who grew up in a really white small town and now lives in a fairly white city, I really appreciate reading novels like The Bennet Women that are diverse and very matter of fact about it. I know I'm always learning and novels always give me at least one little (or big) lightbulb moment that helps me approach the world around me in a better way. (Reading novels is great, of course, but that cannot be the only learning I do - and it's not.) In the case of this novel, it was when EJ and Jamie were talking about wanting to do a road trip across the country but the reality was, a black woman and a trans woman would not be welcome in a lot of states. This is something I knew, sort of, but having it laid out like that just hit a little bit harder and stuck with me.

The Bennet Women is one of those books I just want to shove at people and tell them to read it. It's smart and funny and, no surprise here, I loved that Eden Appiah-Kubi wrote a fantastic novel with nods to one of my favourite classics, Pride and Prejudice. It's a great read and I think you should pick it up soon!

*A copy of this novel was provided by the Canadian distributor, Thomas Allen & Son, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: Fresh

Prior to last year, I would have said Jane Austen's Emma wasn't on my list of favourite reads. I read in it university for a film course and it was fine but Emma kind of drove me nuts. Fast forward to late 2020 and I reread Emma with a new bookstagram friend. And guess what? I liked it a lot more. I also watched two adaptations that had come out since I was in uni. Emma had grown on me. So when I heard Margot Wood's debut novel Fresh (which I was already pumped about) had some Emma elements to it? Oh, I was suddenly way more excited to read it. And, dear reader, I loved it. So very much.

Here's the book's description:

Some students enter their freshman year of college knowing exactly what they want to do with their lives. Elliot McHugh is not one of those people. But picking a major is the last thing on Elliot’s mind when she’s too busy experiencing all that college has to offer—from dancing all night at off-campus parties, to testing her RA Rose’s patience, to making new friends, to having the best sex one can have on a twin-sized dorm room bed. But she may not be ready for the fallout when reality hits. When the sex she’s having isn’t that great. When finals creep up and smack her right in the face. Or when her roommate’s boyfriend turns out to be the biggest a-hole. Elliot may make epic mistakes, but if she’s honest with herself (and with you, dear reader), she may just find the person she wants to be. And maybe even fall in love in the process . . . Well, maybe.

Even though I just reread Emma in October, I'm sure I missed a good number of references to Austen's novel. But that's ok! I caught enough and I was absolutely delighted. Thanks to Clueless way back when, we already know Emma makes for a good modern story and Wood's novel, which is about as loose an adaptation as the film, is a fantastic addition to the world of Austen retellings. Austen's wit and observational skills are timeless and Wood brought that into Elliot's story with her own twist that worked so, so well.

But this novel is so much more than an Austen adaptation. (Most people wouldn't even realize it is but, as an Austen fan, I picked up on it so of course that'll be the first thing I talk about.) No, it is a real, raw, all the feels inducing tale of a young woman going off to college and failing, hard. There are a lot of tough life lessons Elliot learns throughout the course of the novel and even if you had a fairly smooth transition into the college lifestyle (uh, did anyone have that?), you can still identify with a lot of what Elliot goes through. In one of the first scenes, Elliot is dropped off at her dorm by her dad and, though I moved into my residence 16 years ago this September, I felt like I was right back there. 18 and excited and terrified and wanting to embrace my new life while also clinging to my mom because I didn't want her to leave. I was amazed at how much those feelings hit me but that's a testament to how well Wood writes and the style of her writing, too. Elliot speaks to the reader, which may not be for everyone, but I loved it and felt it worked well. It made me feel like I was right alongside her as she crashed and burned and tried to dig herself out of the hole she made for herself.

For those who have been around the book world (whether that's blogging or booktubing or bookstagramming or just being a super avid reader) for a long time, may remember Wood as part of the team that started Epic Reads with HarperCollins in the US. I didn't read a ton of YA then (still don't) but Wood's enthusiasm was infectious and I loved tuning into their videos. *book shimmy* I would have be interested in Wood's novel for that reason alone but the description of this one really sold it for me. I'm so very happy I loved it.

There's a ton of humour (and sex...and swearing) in this book but there's also a lot of really hard things too. Elliot is a mess. It's going to be hard for some people to care about her but I adored her. No one is perfect and she was a joy to read abut. She's so smart (even though she was making some really dumb choices), is totally comfortable with her sexuality (she's bi and enjoys all the sexy times) even though she's terrified of intimacy, and she's funny AF. I really felt like I was there with her (but also really wanted to actually be there hanging out with her and her friends). Back to the hard stuff - at about halfway through the book a sexual assault takes place and it's tough to read but, in my opinion, was handled really well. 

I feel like I could gush about Fresh all day.  Margot Wood's debut novel was an absolute delight and I think everyone should read it. It's funny and smart and real and so so so good. Now, what are you waiting for? Head to your local bookstore and get a copy!

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, Pique Beyond/ABRAMS Kids, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: Until the Last Star Fades

I already knew Jacquelyn Middleton is wonderfully skilled at creating characters and stories that can find their way into your heart and stick there. I loved her London series (London Belongs to Me is the first and London Can You Wait?, which I reviewed here, is the second) and wondered if she could create even more characters I would fall in love with. Short answer? Oh, yes. She definitely could. Until the Last Star Fades is just wonderful.

Here's the synopsis:

Touching, heartfelt and passionate, UNTIL THE LAST STAR FADES blurs the line between slow-burn romance and women's fiction, and is a must-read for hopeful romantics, devoted daughters, and the moms they cherish.
COULD YOU BE THE ONE WHO CHANGES EVERYTHING?
In her senior year at NYU, Riley Hope appears to be on top of the world. With a loving mother who makes Lorelai Gilmore look like a parenting slacker, ride-or-die friends, and a long-time boyfriend destined for the National Hockey League, she puts on a smile for the world. But behind it, she’s drowning. Racked with fears for the future, she battles to stay afloat amid life in the shadows of a heartbreaking illness.
And then, Ben Fagan comes crashing into her life. Twenty-three-years-old, British, and alone in the Big Apple after a disastrous pilot season in LA, the struggling actor is looking for an escape: booze, mischief, sex—minimum commitment, maximum fun—anything to avoid returning across the pond.
As they form an unlikely bond, Riley keeps her reality from Ben so that he remains a happy refuge. But how long can she hold back the truth…and is Ben keeping his own secrets, too?
From the award-winning author of LONDON BELONGS TO ME and LONDON, CAN YOU WAIT?, comes a bittersweet story about love, loss, sacrifice, and the life-changing decisions we make.

I'm going to start with the one (and basically only) thing I didn't like about the book. I didn't like that Riley was dating someone else at the start of it. I don't care that she wasn't happy and wasn't (exactly) crushing on Ben when she first met him. It just left me with a bit of an icky feeling since I knew she'd somehow be ending up with Ben (that's not a spoiler - you know how a contemporary story like this is going to end from the get go) and I wasn't sure how it was going to go. Did everything go the way it was meant to? Yes, but that doesn't change how not-ok I felt knowing what would have to happen to get the soulmates together. Is it a deal-breaker? Absolutely not. It may even be a really personal thing but it's a thing I didn't love and I needed to mention it.

BUT. The rest of it? Oh so lovely.

Middleton really shone a light on depression in this book and I am so here for it. It's a necessary thing to talk about in real life and to read about in novels. I know some people got frustrated with Alex's anxiety in her other books which, in turn, frustrates me. We read, in part, to see things from other people's perspectives. And reading books where the main character has a mental health issue is so important.

To build on the above, I love that Middleton is able to create characters who are so real and are dealing with real issues. Until the Last Star Fades isn't a super lighthearted read - the synopsis doesn't mention one of the most heartbreaking parts of the story so I won't mention it either - but it manages to have so much love and hope that you can endure the really hard moments. None of the characters she created is having an especially easy time of it (quite the opposite, really) but they have each other. But oh my word. The emotional gut punches Middleton throws at you will have you reaching for your favourite people for a huge hug.

I wouldn't call this book a romance even though a major plot point in the story is Riley and Ben realizing that they've been stupid and should stop fighting their feelings because they totally belong together. (Ahem. I might feel strongly about this.) This book is about so much more than their love story. Both Riley and Ben had to figure out their own shit problems before they were going to be any good to each other and I think that's why the slow burn of their relationship totally works. They couldn't have hopped right into a relationship because it would have failed. Seeing the two of them evolve and grow as people is almost more satisfying than a romantic Happily Ever After. Almost. (I love me some romance.)

Bonus: those who have read Middleton's other novels will love that Mark and Alex make a cameo in this novel!

Until the Last Star Fades is one of those books that my review just won't do it justice. I recommend picking up Jacquelyn Middleton's latest novel - just out today! - and diving into a story that will pull all your heartstrings and leave you thinking about it long after you finish it. It will make you laugh, swoon, and probably cry but that's ok. The best books are those that make you feel all the feels and Middleton's latest is no exception.

*A copy of this novel was provided by the author in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Mini Reviews: Contemporary YA Edition

Raise your hand if you have a library card. And raise the other if you use it frequently. *looks around* Good. Glad to see many of you using your library. I, like many voracious readers, don't have the funds to buy all the books I'd like to read. Enter my public library. I use it a lot for book club books and any of the YA titles I want to read but don't get for review. This summer I read two wonderful contemporary YA novels that I really wanted to talk (read: flail) about on the blog.

My YA reading is pretty much restricted to contemporary YA books these days and even then it's only a certain few authors that I make the time for (so many books, so little time). I put Morgan Matson's Save the Date on hold as soon as it was available and was anxiously waiting for it to come in. I honestly didn't even know what the book was about (but you can read the synopsis here) but Matson has become an autoread author for me in recent years. I had the chance to go to a meet and greet before her first ever Canadian tour date where my blogger friend Tiff - from Mostly YA Lit - interviewed her. But...I have a new job and only so much wiggle room on asking for time off plus I'm not super close to where the event was happening. *sobs*

This book was pretty much impossible for me to put down and I had it finished in a weekend. It was smart, funny, and genuine - things I look for in almost every book I read. I was completely sucked into Charlie's life and, as is usual when I read YA books these days, I found myself wanting to play the big sister to Charlie and help her figure out her life. I'm the eldest in real life anyway, plus I'm so much older than the teens I'm reading about now, so it's inevitable that I'll start feeling protective of these girls. Even though I wanted to swoop in and tell her what I thought she should do, I knew she had a great head on her shoulders and she'd figure out on her own what the best path for her would be. That's what being a teenager is all about, isn't it? Making your mistakes, learning from them, and growing as a person.

The Canadians in the crowd will definitely understand me when I say the cartoon Charlie's mom drew totally reminded me of For Better or For Worse, a strip by Lynn Johnston that I was obsessed with growing up (seriously, I still have the book collections). Charlie's mom's strip Grant Central Station, like FBorFW, shows the characters aging in real time. Plus, there were older siblings and a much younger sibling (or siblings) in both, and a dog. I clearly was on the right track because this came up during the event I missed and Tiff, with her amazing recap, mentioned it. LOVE.

Finally, I loved that this book was about Charlie and her family (as well as a little bit about her friends). The boy troubles were totally realistic because, hello, she's 18 and interested in boys so of course they're going to come up in her life. But they weren't the point of the story. She very much was figuring out herself and her place in her family and the world in general. The love story was secondary (but no less welcome).

   *   *   *   

I also try to make time for really great books I wouldn't necessarily read when bloggers I trust can't stop talking about them. This time it was Ginger (of GReads!) flailing about Stay Sweet by Siobhan Vivian. (Synopsis is here on Goodreads) I wholeheartedly trust Ginger's opinion so on the reserve list it went and I happily dived in when it arrived. And oh - how sweet it was!

These novels were actually quite similar (which is kind of fun/odd because the two authors are friends). Both stories featured smart, funny, sort of shy girls who had just finished or were finishing high school and were looking forward to their next step - college. Every summer I always find myself thinking of the year I was getting ready to go to university and how much of a big deal that summer was. I had some major changes that year, just like Amelia and Charlie. I finished high school, was finishing my final summer at the library where I had worked all through high school (and wanted to work at since I was little, just like Amelia with the ice cream shop), and I started dating someone new even though he was staying behind for another semester and I was moving 2+ hours away. (Spoiler alert: we're still together 13 years later.) That summer between high school and university/college is just so magical and I really, really love reading stories set during that time - especially when they're so amazing. Stay Sweet was great and I am SO GLAD I made the time to read it.

I'm a big ice cream fan (Revelation: I don't know if I can fully trust anyone who isn't...) but I also try to make sure I only eat really good ice cream. I could totally identify with the popularity of Meade Creamery and found myself constantly comparing it to a local ice cream shop I was introduced to a year or so after moving to the area I'm in now - Avondale Dairy Bar. Not only do they both have the family run business feel but I pretty much only see teenagers working at Avondale and most of them are girls, just like at Meade Creamery. I adored that only girls were allowed to work at the ice cream shop and couldn't get enough of Amelia describing how they all helped each other out and the older girls were like another set of older sisters for the newbies. It was also feminist AF and I loved one scene where Grady says Amelia is being bossy and she totally calls him out on it and tells him he's being rude. He immediately apologizes. (Also - I'm writing this almost a month after reading it so I'm kinda paraphrasing.)

I really loved Amelia - probably because she reminded me a lot of myself at that age. Only she's way more confident than I was and had a better sense of her future than I did. (Hell, than I do now at 31.)

Overall, these two books are MUST. READS. for your summer. Or fall. Or holiday. Just read them. And gift them to all the teens in your life because every reader needs to meet Charlie and Amelia because they are absolutely amazing characters. And suddenly I'm craving ice cream...but what else is new?

Review: Dear Emma

I loved Katie Heaney's first book, Never Have I Ever: My Life (So Far) Without a Date, a memoir that was published two years ago. (Review is here.) So, when I heard Heaney was writing a novel I was thrilled. Thrilled! I didn't have any expectations of Dear Emma going in (I hardly even read the synopsis because I knew I'd want to read her novel no matter what), though I do think I had higher hopes for it than it delivered. I really enjoyed it though!

Here's the synopsis:

Harriet, the author of her college newspaper's pseudonymous student advice column "Dear Emma," is great at telling others what to do, dispensing wisdom for the lovelorn and lonely on her Midwestern campus. Somehow, though, she can't take her own advice, especially after Keith, the guy she's dating, blows her off completely. When Harriet discovers that Keith has started seeing the beautiful and intimidating Remy, she wants to hate her. But she can't help warming to Remy, who soon writes to "Dear Emma" asking for romantic advice.
Now Harriet has the perfect opportunity to take revenge on the person who broke her heart. But as she begins to doubt her own motivations and presumably faultless guidance, she's forced to question how much she really knows about love, friendship and well-meaning advice.

I'm going to tell you something I wish I had realized/been told right off the bat. And it's kind of embarrassing to admit this because I always say I'm such a Jane Austen fan...but...Dear Emma is kind of an homage to Austen's Emma. I know. Duh. It made so much sense after I read that in the acknowledgements/interview with the author. Side note: who else reads those sections? It wasn't until I got into blogging that reading them became a regular thing. This is a prime example why I do because it really did add to my reading experience. Anyway. I really dislike Emma - both the book and the heroine. She's meddling and frustrating and downright cruel at times and I just never understood the appeal to that particular Austen novel. But I do think it explains why I had a teeny bit of annoyance with Harriet and her story. She sometimes gets too into providing advice and trying to fix things (something a friend eventually calls her out on) that she forgets to allow friends, and herself, to make those "mistakes" we all need to learn from. Unlike Emma, I could see the growth in Harriet and I definitely liked her more as a person than Emma!

Even though Dear Emma is a play on another novel...the story still felt fresh. I don't think there are enough contemporary New Adult novels that are light, fun, with a touch of real life drama. They all tend to be quite angsty. Where are the books that resemble my own post-secondary experiences? As you'll see in the next paragraph, Dear Emma was totally the kind of New Adult novel I've been looking for. Harriet is smart, funny, and real. She has flaws just like everyone else and that's what made her so likeable and realistic. They're not major flaws...they're ordinary, really. She focuses a little bit too much on herself sometimes, for example, even though she really is a great friend. Who hasn't been that person at least once? I also liked that Harriet and her roommates were juniors (it is so weird for me, a Canadian, to write that...I would call it third year!). Too often novels that take place in college/university have characters who are in their first year or their last so this was another, subtle, thing I really appreciated.

At first I found it difficult to get myself back into the university age mindset. It's been awhile since I've been in school but once I got into a reading groove it was like I was right there with Harriet, Logan, and Mel (her two roommates). In fact, I started to picture the library (where Harriet worked) as my own university's library. Same with the campus. And the house the three girls lived in looked suspiciously like the place my friends and I shared our last two years at school (even though the set up was nothing like Harriet's house). I was right back to being 22/23 and it was...well, it was nice. Adulting is hard so it was kind of awesome to be thrown into a story where the biggest issues were school, dating, and figuring out how to function hungover (I miss the hangovers I had in my early 20s...they're so much worse now).

What kept me from giving this a higher rating (I gave it 3 stars on Goodreads though it's definitely 3.5), was actually the writing. Well, maybe not the writing, exactly, because Heaney knows what she's doing. The thing that kind of bugged me was that sometimes there was too much explanation, like every part of Harriet's day needed to be accounted for kind of thing. And sometimes I felt like the information was just kind of thrown at you. I don't have a finished copy so I can't quote any particular lines, I just knew there were scenes where I felt a little bored and wanted things to keep on moving.

While I'm not shouting on the rooftops about how much I adored Dear Emma, I still think it's a thoroughly enjoyable novel that every contemporary story loving twentysomething should pick up. Katie Heaney is an author I will continue to watch and I cannot wait for her next novel!

*An egalley copy of this novel was provided by the publisher, Grand Central Publishing, via NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions are honest and my own.*