books – Page 4 – World of Bai

Book Review: “A Merry Little Meet Cute” By Julie Murphy & Sierra Simone

This will be my second Christmas book this season and I was not disappointed! I will go ahead and warn you now that if you want to enjoy this book make sure you know the synopsis and are comfortable with the topics discussed, Going into this book blind probably hindered my overall rating.

“I love you too, Nolan. I love you in the dark. I love you in the light. I love you everywhere.”
A Merry Little Meet Cute

About The Book

Author: Julie Murphy & Sierra Simone

Publisher: Avon

Published Date: September 20th, 2022

Page Count: 418

Main Genres: Romance, Holiday, Contemporary

GoodReads Rating: 3.51

Format: Audio

Synopsis

Bee Hobbes (aka Bianca Von Honey) has a successful career as a plus-size adult film star. With a huge following and two supportive moms, Bee couldn’t ask for more. But when Bee’s favorite producer casts her to star in a Christmas movie he’s making for the squeaky-clean Hope Channel, Bee’s career is about to take a more family-friendly direction.

Forced to keep her work as Bianca under wraps, Bee quickly learns this is a task a lot easier said than done. Though it all becomes worthwhile when she discovers her co-star is none other than childhood crush Nolan Shaw, an ex-boy band member in desperate need of career rehab. Nolan’s promised his bulldog manager to keep it zipped up on set, and he will if it means he’ll be able to provide a more stable living situation for his sister and mom.

But things heat up quickly in Christmas Notch, Vermont, when Nolan recognizes his new co-star from her ClosedDoors account (oh yeah, he’s a member). Now Bee and Nolan are sneaking off for quickies on set, keeping their new relationship a secret from the Hope Channel’s execs. Things only get trickier when the reporter who torpedoed Nolan’s singing career comes snooping around—and takes an instant interest in mysterious newcomer Bee.

And if Bee and Nolan can’t keep their off-camera romance behind the scenes, then this merry little meet cute might end up on the cutting room floor.

Synopsis From GoodReads

Rating

Review

I read this book as a buddy read that was actually supposed to end a week from now but I sped through the audio book! Now, typically I am not a huge Spicy book reader so going in blind for this book and learning it is a mixture of porn and a hallmark movie really throw me for a loop, but needless to say it ended up being a lot better than the first few chapters led me to believe.

By all means, this book wasn’t amazing, but I feel like it ended really strong! It took me probably more than half the book to really care about the characters and their relationship but when things started to go wrong and you learned more about their pasts and current situations I started to get into it more. This book was straight up lust rather than love which isn’t my favorite trope but when everything came together at the end I could officially back their relationship. I also really loved the awareness this book brought to sex workers and how they are people and not just an object and how their lives are just as important.

The last thing I want to bring up and maybe the most important thing to me was the representation of a “Fat” character. I personally don’t see bigger main characters, especially girls, represented in books and I loved how much she loved herself and owned her body! You go Girl!

“I like you so much that it scares me. And when I think about leaving and never seeing you again, it makes me feel like something’s being yanked out of me. Something important, something that I need to breathe and eat and live. I want more than memories with you, Bee. I want moments upon moments.”
A Merry Little Meet Cute

QOTD: Big Girl Rep Books?

Book Review: “Caraval” By Stephanie Garber

I am really bad at reading fantasy books and so I am trying to find some that intrigue me that I can start reading. Yes, this means I am taking recommendations for books that give off the same vibes as this one. I only picked this one up because I saw it on Scribd and I needed something new to read at night so I assumed I would be reading this for quite some time but to my surprise I devoured this book!

“Every person has the power to change their fate if they are brave enough to fight for what they desire more than anything.”
Stephanie Garber, Caraval

About The Book

Author: Stephanie Garber

Publisher: Flatiron Books

Published Date: January 31st, 2017

Page Count: 407 Pages

Main Genres: Fantasy, YA, Romance

GoodReads Rating: 4.00

Format: Ebook

“Some things are worth pursuit regardless of the cost.”“Whatever you’ve heard about Caraval, it doesn’t compare to the reality. It’s more than just a game or performance. It’s the closest you’ll ever find yourself magic in this world.”
Stephanie Garber, Caraval

Synopsis

Scarlett Dragna has never left the tiny island where she and her sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval—the faraway, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show—are over.

But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. Nevertheless she becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic. And whether Caraval is real or not, Scarlett must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over or a dangerous domino effect of consequences will be set off, and her beloved sister will disappear forever.

Synopsis From GoodReads

“She imagined loving him would feel like falling in love with darkness, frightening and consuming yet utterly beautiful when the stars came out.”
Stephanie Garber, Caraval

Rating

Review

This book will definitely be making it in my top ten books of this year! I was so blown away by the first chapter that it was hard to put down.

I really cared about the characters in this book. I feel like everyone had such a tragic backstory that kept you wanting to learn more. I really loved Scarlett, our main character, she was determined to make a better life for her and her sister Tella, so determined that she would do anything to make it happen. She really proves herself throughout the entire book and you can tell she truly loves her sister. I also think her character development was fantastic!

I had my suspicions about how the book was going to end within the first few chapters and boy was I wrong! This book really kept me on my toes and had many twists and turns that kept me glued to the pages! I have already ordered the rest of the series and I can’t wait to start reading them.

“Whatever you’ve heard about Caraval, it doesn’t compare to the reality. It’s more than just a game or performance. It’s the closest you’ll ever find yourself magic in this world.”
Stephanie Garber, Caraval

QOTD: Waat is a beginner friendly fantasy series?

Book Review: “Lovelight Farms” By B.K. Borison

My first book that I finished this month feels very fitting as we have gotten quite a bit of snow so the mood just felt right. This is a book I have been dying to get my hands on for months and I am glad I saved it till now. I really am hoping to read more Christmas / Holiday books before the end of the year, so fingers crossed.

“I’m going to love her in all the quiet ways, the slow ways, the loud and obnoxious ways.”
B.K. Borison, Lovelight Farms

About The Book

Author: B.K. Borison

Publisher: Self Published

Published Date: November 10th, 2021

Page Count: 401 Pages

Main Genres: Romance, Holiday, Contemporary

GoodReads Rating: 4.17

Format: Audio

“We should remember those who have left us with fondness. Speaking of them keeps their memory alive.”
B.K. Borison, Lovelight Farms

Synopsis

A pasture of dead trees. A hostile takeover of the Santa barn by a family of raccoons. And shipments that have mysteriously gone missing. Lovelight Farms is not the magical winter wonderland of Stella Bloom’s dreams.

In an effort to save the Christmas tree farm she’s loved since she was a kid, she enters a contest with instafamous influencer Evelyn St. James. With the added publicity and the $100,000 cash prize, she might just be able to save the farm from its financial woes. There’s just one problem. To make the farm seem like a romantic destination for the holidays, she lied on the application and said she owns Lovelight Farms with her boyfriend. Only … there is no boyfriend.

Enter best friend Luka Peters. He just came home for some hot chocolate, and somehow got a farm and a serious girlfriend in the process.

Synopsis From GoodReads

“Leaning on other people doesn’t make your achievements any less yours, La La. You can trust me to help you carry the load. You don’t have to do all of this alone. I know you can take of yourself. You’ve been doing that as long as I’ve known you. But let me hold your hand while you do it, okay?”
B.K. Borison, Lovelight Farms

Rating

“It’s hard to love someone without restraint. To give yourself over to the swell and pull of it without fear of what might happen. I think it’s only natural to hold a part of yourself back and protect what you can.”
B.K. Borison, Lovelight Farms

Review

I feel like I have seen this book being reviewed left and right on bookstagram lately due to the holiday season and I am so glad I decided to read it too. Honestly I have not seen any bad reviews for this book and I now know why.

I am a huge friends to lovers fan and this book didn’t hold back! This could be a possible spoiler but I could have lived without the small tiff at the end, it really wasn’t needed and it was just one big misunderstanding. I just wanted them to be continuously happy. However, would it really be a romance book without some misunderstanding right at the end?

I would also call this book a bit of a found family story. The farm she built with her new friends turned out to be wonderful and even though they go through some bumps in the road her friends back her up and offer their support. This was probably my favorite part of the book. There’s just something about found family that pulls at my heart strings.

I am so excited to read the rest of B.K. Borison’s books, if they are anything like this one I know I will be obsessed! I highly recommend picking this one up for a last minute holiday read.

“And isn’t it silly, to love the way someone’s things look like next to yours? Little bits and pieces of a life lived in parallel.”
B.K. Borison, Lovelight Farms

QOTD: What Holiday books have you read and loved?

December Hopefuls

I am back with a new post after a brief month long break. I am beyond excited to be back and I am ready to put out some new content for you all. I would like to start with my December Hopefuls. I am hoping to get a few more books done before the end of the year and these are all so high on my list!

Honestly, I will probably not be able to finish all of these but my fingers are crossed for a great reading month regardless!

October Wrap Up

In October I read some really good spooky reads along with a few most anticipated reads like “It Starts With Us” By Colleen Hoover. I am overall extremely happy with everything I read last month and I can’t wait to share all my thoughts.

Reading Stats

Number of Books: 8

Total Pages: 2,452

Average Rating: 4.69

Most Common Format: Physical Books

Most Common Genre: Romance

Mood: Mysterious

Physical Books

“Hidden Pictures” By Jason Rekulak

Fresh out of rehab, Mallory Quinn takes a job in the affluent suburb of Spring Brook, New Jersey as a babysitter for Ted and Caroline Maxwell. She is to look after their five-year-old son, Teddy.

Mallory immediately loves this new job. She lives in the Maxwell’s pool house, goes out for nightly runs, and has the stability she craves. And she sincerely bonds with Teddy, a sweet, shy boy who is never without his sketchbook and pencil. His drawings are the usual fare: trees, rabbits, balloons. But one day, he draws something different: a man in a forest, dragging a woman’s lifeless body.

As the days pass, Teddy’s artwork becomes more and more sinister, and his stick figures steadily evolve into more detailed, complex, and lifelike sketches well beyond the ability of any five-year-old. Mallory begins to suspect these are glimpses of an unsolved murder from long ago, perhaps relayed by a supernatural force lingering in the forest behind the Maxwell’s house.

With help from a handsome landscaper and an eccentric neighbor, Mallory sets out to decipher the images and save Teddy—while coming to terms with a tragedy in her own past—before it’s too late.

Synopsis From GoodReads

Full Review

“Every Heart A Doorway” By Seanan McGuire

No Solicitations
No Visitors
No Quests

Children have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere… else.

But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children.

Nancy tumbled once, but now she’s back. The things she’s experienced… they change a person. The children under Miss West’s care understand all too well. And each of them is seeking a way back to their own fantasy world.

But Nancy’s arrival marks a change at the Home. There’s a darkness just around each corner, and when tragedy strikes, it’s up to Nancy and her new-found schoolmates to get to the heart of the matter.

No matter the cost.

Synopsis From GoodReads

Full Review

“The Sun Down Motel” By Simone St. James

Upstate NY, 1982. Every small town like Fell, New York, has a place like the Sun Down Motel. Some customers are from out of town, passing through on their way to someplace better. Some are locals, trying to hide their secrets. Viv Delaney works as the night clerk to pay for her move to New York City. But something isn’t right at the Sun Down, and before long she’s determined to uncover all of the secrets hidden…

Synopsis From GoodReads

Full Review

Graphic Novels

“PumpkinHeads” By Rainbow Rowell

I really loved this graphic novel. It was extremely cute, both in writing and the art.

Only go into this book if you are prepared to be hungry! It talks so much about some yummy fall themed treats and I just wish I could have ate them along side the characters.

“MoonCakes” By Wendy Xu

I bought this mostly for the cover, if I am being completely honest. It is super cute and Halloween themed so it felt like a great book to pick up for spooky season.

I thought it was a pretty cute read and I can totally see myself picking this up to re read each year. If you like witches and werewolves, then I know you will enjoy this one!

Audio

“The Perfect Child” By Lucinda Berry

Christopher and Hannah are a happily married surgeon and nurse with picture-perfect lives. All that’s missing is a child. When Janie, an abandoned six-year-old, turns up at their hospital, Christopher forms an instant connection with her, and he convinces Hannah they should take her home as their own.

But Janie is no ordinary child, and her damaged psyche proves to be more than her new parents were expecting. Janie is fiercely devoted to Christopher, but she acts out in increasingly disturbing ways, directing all her rage at Hannah. Unable to bond with Janie, Hannah is drowning under the pressure, and Christopher refuses to see Janie’s true nature.

Hannah knows that Janie is manipulating Christopher and isolating him from her, despite Hannah’s attempts to bring them all together. But as Janie’s behavior threatens to tear Christopher and Hannah apart, the truth behind Janie’s past may be enough to push them all over the edge.

Synopsis From GoodReads

Full Review

“It Ends With Us” By Colleen Hoover

This was actually a reread for me in preparation for the release of “It Starts With Us”. This was my all time favorite book and now I can say it is my all time favorite series!

I can’t get enough of Atlas and Lily and I will forever be rooting for them.

“It Starts With Us” By Colleen Hoover

Lily and her ex-husband, Ryle, have just settled into a civil coparenting rhythm when she suddenly bumps into her first love, Atlas, again. After nearly two years separated, she is elated that for once, time is on their side, and she immediately says yes when Atlas asks her on a date.

But her excitement is quickly hampered by the knowledge that, though they are no longer married, Ryle is still very much a part of her life—and Atlas Corrigan is the one man he will hate being in his ex-wife and daughter’s life.

Synopsis from Goodreads

Full Review

DNF

“Lord Of The Fly Fest” By Goldy Moldavsky

I don’t DNF Often, so I am quite upset I had to do this. When reading this short review please keep in mind that this is my opinion and I can only speak for myself. Please read this book if you are still interested.

Honestly the cover is so gorgeous that when the writing and characters didn’t live up to that level I had to put it down. I read about 70 pages and just couldn’t read anymore.

Favorite Quotes

“What are you talking about? We can’t just give her back—we’re her parents. Her parents, Hannah. Whether you like it or not, that’s what we signed on for.” His body shook as he tried to control his anger. “You can’t just give your kids away when it’s rough.” “You can if your kid is a monster.”
Lucinda Berry, The Perfect Child

“She crawled up on my lap and whispered in her sweet voice, “I like hurting people. Do you?”
Lucinda Berry, The Perfect Child

“Thank you for being the most comforting part of my life right now. Thank you for always being the beacon I need every time I feel lost. Whether you mean to shine on me or not. I am grateful for you. I’ve missed you. I absolutely should have kissed you.”
Colleen Hoover, It Starts with Us

“My choice helped me realize that sometimes the hardest decisions a person can make will most likely lead to the best outcomes.”
Colleen Hoover, It Starts with Us

“I think it’s instructive to be awake in the middle of the night every once in a while. To really see what you’re missing while you’re usually sleeping.”
Simone St. James, The Sun Down Motel

“She was a story, not an epilogue.”
Seanan McGuire, Every Heart a Doorway

“I’m grateful to the judge who sent me to rehab instead of prison.”
Jason Rekulak, Hidden Pictures

QOTD: What Format do you like to read books in?

Book Review: “The Sun Down Motel” By Simone St. James

This book was my Book Clubs pick for the month of October and I don’t think we could have picked a better book for the spooky season! I know a lot of my book Club peeps were busy this month so not many of us were able to finish but that is perfectly fine because we are friends first before a Book Club. Over all I really enjoyed this book and I can’t wait to tell you my thoughts.

“For the odd girls, the nerdy girls, and the murderinos. This one is yours.”
Simone St. James, The Sun Down Motel

About The Book

Author: Simone St. James

Publisher: Berkley

Published Date: February 18th, 2020

Page Count: 327 Pages

Main Genres: Mystery, Horror, Thriller

GoodReads Rating. 4.03

Format: Physical Book

“I think it’s instructive to be awake in the middle of the night every once in a while. To really see what you’re missing while you’re usually sleeping.”
Simone St. James, The Sun Down Motel

Synopsis

Synopsis From GoodReads

“I’m the one you didn’t kill,”
Simone St. James, The Sun Down Motel

Rating

Review

This book started a bit slow to me and took maybe 150 pages to really get into. But by the time I met that 150 page mark I was hooked and did not want to put it down!

At the beginning of this book everything just felt too perfect, like she was out of money and had no where to stay but then she finds a rich roommate, like what? Why was it so perfect? That kind of story telling really gets under my skin. But honestly you forget about how perfect this book started after a little while and just get sucked into the atmosphere of The Sun Down Motel and the story of all the missing girls. You really want to help them figure out the truth!

I did really enjoy all of the characters in this book, and there were many. They all played a pretty important part in this book and really made the story. Carly made some really good friendships which was a really cute part that I enjoyed a lot, I was afraid she wouldn’t know anyone and be doing all this research on her own.

If you are looking for a paranormal book that actually gives you chills, I highly recommend picking up this book.

“The person who could be truly alone, in the company of no one but oneself and one’s own thoughts—that person was stronger than anyone else. More ready. More prepared.”
Simone St. James, The Sun Down Motel

QOTD: What are some good paranormal books?