This Months TBR is a bit different. I decided to start my own Youtube Channel so I pulled Prompts from a jar and found books to fit that prompt! I am so excited to finally have my own Youtube Channel. This was something I have been wanting to do for a very long time and I am so happy to get it off the ground! Thankfully Noah is going to be my video editor so that takes a lot of pressure off of my shoulders.
I have been reading this for way too long I just need to finally finish it
I am one of the worlds worst TBR Reader. I am a Mood Reader by Heart so Picking and sticking to a TBR can be really hard. I am excited to see if using TBR Prompts will prove to be successful.
As always If you would like to follow me on my Other channels I would truly appreciate it.
I read this book for my Book Club Pick in the month of May. This book was Co Hosted by my Best Friend Bree and My best Bookish Friend Ireland. The Live Book Discussion is on 06/03/23 at 5 Pm MST.
About The Book
Author: Johnny Compton
Publisher: Tor
Published Date: February 7th, 2023
Page Count: 261 Pages
Main Genres: Horror, Gothic, Paranormal
GoodReads Rating: 3.54
Format: Physical Book
Synopsis
Eric Ross is on the run from a mysterious past with his two daughters in tow. Having left his wife, his house, his whole life behind in Maryland, he’s desperate for money–it’s not easy to find safe work when you can’t provide references, you can’t stay in one place for long, and you’re paranoid that your past is creeping back up on you.
When he comes across the strange ad for the Masson House in Degener, Texas, Eric thinks they may have finally caught a lucky break. The Masson property, notorious for being one of the most haunted places in Texas, needs a caretaker of sorts. The owner is looking for proof of paranormal activity. All they need to do is stay in the house and keep a detailed record of everything that happens there. Provided the house’s horrors don’t drive them all mad, like the caretakers before them.
The job calls to Eric, not just because there’s a huge payout if they can make it through, but because he wants to explore the secrets of the spite house. If it is indeed haunted, maybe it’ll help him understand the uncanny power that clings to his family, driving them from town to town, making them afraid to stop running. A terrifying Gothic thriller about grief and death and the depths of a father’s love, Johnny Compton’s The Spite House is a stunning debut by a horror master in the making.
This book was neither a hit or a miss. I honestly have pretty neutral feelings towards this book. I loved the paranormal aspect to this read as I have been dying to find a spooky read that makes me questions if spirits are truly there or not and this book did give that! But I did have a few things that brought more questions than answers. With that being said I think if this book was just 50 pages longer I think this book would have ended nicely or even a second book about the family now that all this has happened.
This book had so many POV’s, in fact I think you get a POV from all main characters. I can count at least 9 POV’s from the top of my head. This caused a lot of confusion for me but was honestly needed for the book to make any sense. The Spite House has an Extensive history and without the Multiple POV’s I don’t think we as readers would have been able to grasp what was going on throughout the entire book. But having Multiple POV’s also left me wanting to learn more about each and every character.
Overall I am glad I read this book but I could have lived without ever reading it. This really gave off Stephen King Vibes such as The Shinning and Pet Semetary, so if those are your vibes you might like this book. Lasty, If there was a second book ever made about Stacy I would read it as I cared about her character the most and would love to know more about her situation.
“You can do anything you want, you just have to make it happen.”
I have been meaning to make a 2023 most anticipated release blog post since January, so I am a bit late to this, but why not start now and do monthly lists for 2023 releases? I had a lot of Anticipated releases for the first half of the year like Happy Place by Emily Henry and The Spite House by Johnny Compton which I am getting to this month! Let me know if any of these books I am looking forward to are also on your radar.
June
“Lore Olympus” Volume 4 By Rachel Smythe
Release Date: June 6th, 2022
Main Genres: Fantasy, Romance
GoodReads Rating: 4.60
I am in love with this series and I will be picking up both volume 4 and 5 this year. There is no doubt in my mind!
Synopsis
The rumor mill of Olympus is constantly churning, but Persephone and Hades are all anyone can talk about. With the constant gossip creating intense pressure on the pair, they decide to slow down their budding romance and focus on sorting out their own issues first.
But that’s easier said than done.
Hades struggles to find support in his personal life, with Zeus trivializing his feelings and Minthe resorting to abusive patterns in their relationship. And while Hades tries to create healthier boundaries where he can–like finally putting a stop to his sporadic, revenge-fueled hookups with Hera–he still feels lonely and adrift.
Persephone feels equally ostracized as her classmates shun her for her connection to Hades, and she can find no refuge at home, with Apollo constantly dropping by unannounced and pushing his unwelcome advances. And on top of it all, the wrathful god of war, Ares, has returned to Olympus to dredge up his sordid history with the goddess of spring, threatening to surface Persephone’s dark and mysterious past and ruin her tenuous position in the land of the gods.
Despite agreeing to take it slow, Persephone and Hades find themselves inextricably drawn toward each other once more amid the chaos. The pull of fate cannot be denied.
This edition of Rachel Smythe’s original Eisner-nominated webcomic Lore Olympus features exclusive behind-the-scenes content and brings the Greek pantheon into the modern age in a sharply perceptive and romantic graphic novel.
I have read one Riley Sager all the way through and rated it 3 stars and DNF’d another. But here I am hoping this one brings all the good reading Vibes!
Synopsis
Now reduced to a schoolyard chant, the Hope family murders shocked the Maine coast one bloody night in 1929. While most people assume seventeen-year-old Lenora was responsible, the police were never able to prove it. Other than her denial after the killings, she has never spoken publicly about that night, nor has she set foot outside Hope’s End, the cliffside mansion where the massacre occurred.
Stabbed her father with a knife Took her mother’s happy life
It’s now 1983, and home-health aide Kit McDeere arrives at a decaying Hope’s End to care for Lenora after her previous nurse fled in the middle of the night. In her seventies and confined to a wheelchair, Lenora was rendered mute by a series of strokes and can only communicate with Kit by tapping out sentences on an old typewriter. One night, Lenora uses it to make a tantalizing offer—I want to tell you everything.
“It wasn’t me,” Lenora said But she’s the only one not dead
As Kit helps Lenora write about the events leading to the Hope family massacre, it becomes clear there’s more to the tale than people know. But when new details about her predecessor’s departure come to light, Kit starts to suspect Lenora might not be telling the complete truth—and that the seemingly harmless woman in her care could be far more dangerous than she first thought.
I have only read “The Love Hypothesis by this author but I am really hoping to read this one this year!
Synopsis
The many lives of theoretical physicist Elsie Hannaway have finally caught up with her. By day, she’s an adjunct professor, toiling away at grading labs and teaching thermodynamics in the hopes of landing tenure. By other day, Elsie makes up for her non-existent paycheck by offering her services as a fake girlfriend, tapping into her expertly honed people pleasing skills to embody whichever version of herself the client needs.
Honestly, it’s a pretty sweet gig—until her carefully constructed Elsie-verse comes crashing down. Because Jack Smith, the annoyingly attractive and broody older brother of her favorite client, turns out to be the cold-hearted experimental physicist who ruined her mentor’s career and undermined the reputation of theorists everywhere. And that same Jack who now sits on the hiring committee at MIT, right between Elsie and her dream job.
Elsie is prepared for an all-out war of scholarly sabotage but…those long, penetrating looks? Not having to be anything other than her true self when she’s with him? Will falling into an experimentalist’s orbit finally tempt her to put her most guarded theories on love into practice?
I read “Razorblade Tears” by this author almost two years ago now and I am still thinking about that book till this day! I have plans to read more of his books soon so I for sure have this one on my radar.
Synopsis
Titus Crowne is the first Black sheriff in the history of Charon County. A former FBI agent and security expert, Titus came home to take care of his father and look out for his troubled younger brother. He ran for Sheriff to make a difference, especially in the Black community, which has so often been treated unfairly by the police.
But a year to the day after his election, a school shooting rocks the town. A beloved teacher is killed by a former student, and as Titus attempts to deescalate and get the boy to surrender, his deputies fire a fatal shot.
In the investigation, it becomes clear that the student they shot had been abused by the dead teacher, as well as by unidentified perpetrators. The trail leads to buried bodies—and secrets. While Titus tries to track down a killer hiding in plain sight, while balancing daily duties like protecting Confederate pride marchers, he must face what it means to be a Black man wearing a police uniform in the American South.
I am super excited for June’s releases even if I know I wont actually get to these books next month. I will be adding these to my shelves as soon as I can and will be posting reviews as I get to them.
QOTD: What is a most anticipated 2023 release for you?
I am a huge Emily Henry Fan. I have read all four of her romance books now that “Happy Place” Has came out. Looking back at my ratings for all her book I have given all of them five stars but if I am honest with you I think I would probably rate “People We Meet on Vacation” A four star read now as I honestly thought that was the true rating I gave it and it is for sure my least favorite of her books but it was still a great read.
“In every universe, it’s you for me. Even if it’s not me for you.”
Harriet and Wyn have been the perfect couple since they met in college—they go together like salt and pepper, honey and tea, lobster and rolls. Except, now—for reasons they’re still not discussing—they don’t.
They broke up six months ago. And still haven’t told their best friends.
Which is how they find themselves sharing the largest bedroom at the Maine cottage that has been their friend group’s yearly getaway for the last decade. Their annual respite from the world, where for one vibrant, blue week they leave behind their daily lives; have copious amounts of cheese, wine, and seafood; and soak up the salty coastal air with the people who understand them most.
Only this year, Harriet and Wyn are lying through their teeth while trying not to notice how desperately they still want each other. Because the cottage is for sale and this is the last week they’ll all have together in this place. They can’t stand to break their friends’ hearts, and so they’ll play their parts. Harriet will be the driven surgical resident who never starts a fight, and Wyn will be the laid-back charmer who never lets the cracks show. It’s a flawless plan (if you look at it from a great distance and through a pair of sunscreen-smeared sunglasses). After years of being in love, how hard can it be to fake it for one week… in front of those who know you best?
“I imagined them all thinking it was worth it. Telling me how much they loved me. All my life, when I thought of my future, that was what I pictured. Not a career. The things I thought would come with it. Happiness, love, safety. And that dream had been enough for a long time. What was school if not a chance to earn your worth? To prove, again and again, that you were measurably good. One more deal I struck with a disinterested universe: If I’m good enough, I’ll be happy. I’ll be loved. I’ll be safe.”
I was of course very Hyped for this book as Emily Henry can do no wrong in my mind. However, in the beginning of this book I was a little worried I wouldn’t enjoy this one nearly as much as the rest of her books as it was more of an enemies to lovers type vibe but also not really. I just really struggle with any kind of enemy to lovers books as I really hate constant tension between two characters I am supposed to be rooting for. And much like “People We Meet On Vacation” it had a lot of miscommunication in it that I did struggle with.
What really sucked me in and ultimately the real reason it has a pretty high rating is because of the mental health representation in the book. It discusses how hard it is to love someone else when you can barely love yourself. I mean how can you expect someone to be able to be by your side cheering you on when they have a lot of internal battles going on? My big take away from this book is in relationships it is so important to have open communication about your mental space for both romantic and friend relationships. The people who truly care about you will understand if you are struggling and need some distance but they will be there no matter what when you are ready to reach out. A great example of this would be me and my friend, we both struggle with our mental health and some days we talk non stop and then we go a week or two with hardly any communication because it is emotionally exhausting to respond sometimes and maybe we just need sometime to heal ourselves and we just let each other know “Hey, my mental health needs some work I won’t be as responsive for a bit but I still love you, talk when I can.”
Besides mental health it also discussed a lot about friendships and how they change over years. As you move on from school and start families and careers you don’t always have the same amount of time to be with your friends but you should cherish the moments you do have. It is a beautiful thing getting to watch your friends lives grow and how you will fit in with that ever changing life. You won’t always be the same person you were in high school/college, it is normal to go your separate ways but when you do get back together it will be as if no time has passed. This is something that I really struggle with though, friends moving states and having kids when you are still in your childhood home makes you feel stuck and kind of lonely but the nice thing about this day and age is just because someone lives thousands of miles away they are only a text or facetime away. You can still keep these connections strong!
So, yes overall I loved this book! If you like romance books with minimal spicey levels then Emily Henry is your gal! I highly recommend all of her books so do yourself a favor and pick one or all of them up!
“My best friends taught me a new kind of quiet, the peaceful stillness of knowing one another so well you don’t need to fill the space. And a new kind of loud: noise as a celebration, as the overflow of joy at being alive, here, now.”
I am really hoping to read a good chunk of books this month. Last Month I mostly read only Graphic Novels so I would like to read at least 2 regular chunky books. I feel like I am going to lean more towards Spring Vibes for my books just because as a mood reader that sounds ideal to me.
Hopefuls
Legendary has bene on every Hopefuls list since January…. I am technically almost done with it so I am really hoping I finish it this month.
All I have to say is that I am in my Graphic Novel Era! I read seven books this last month and 6/7 were graphic novels. Honestly I was a little sad that I only finished one big book this month but I should still be proud of myself for reaching out of my comfort zone. After all reading is reading no matter the format!
Physical Book
“Tomorrow, And Tomorrow, And Tomorrow” By Gabrielle Zevin
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
On a bitter-cold day, in the December of his junior year at Harvard, Sam Masur exits a subway car and sees, amid the hordes of people waiting on the platform, Sadie Green. He calls her name. For a moment, she pretends she hasn’t heard him, but then, she turns, and a game begins: a legendary collaboration that will launch them to stardom.
These friends, intimates since childhood, borrow money, beg favors, and, before even graduating college, they have created their first blockbuster, Ichigo. Overnight, the world is theirs. Not even twenty-five years old, Sam and Sadie are brilliant, successful, and rich, but these qualities won’t protect them from their own creative ambitions or the betrayals of their hearts.
Spanning thirty years, from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Venice Beach, California, and lands in between and far beyond, Gabrielle Zevin’s Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a dazzling and intricately imagined novel that examines the multifarious nature of identity, disability, failure, the redemptive possibilities in play, and above all, our need to connect: to be loved and to love. Yes, it is a love story, but it is not one you have read before.
I would rate this series so far 4 stars. I really love the art style of these but I feel as if I am missing some of the story line. I am very excited for the next volume to come out in June!
“Spy Family” Volume 9
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
I am in love with this series so far and this volume was no exception! This was the only book I rated five stars to this month which blows my mind! I can not wait for the next volume to come out, but in the mean time maybe I will start watching the TV Series.
“I Think Our Son Is Gay”
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
So far this series has been super cute and I love that the perspective is from the mom. I think it has a really sweet message behind it. I need to get my hands on the rest of these ASAP!
“Delicates”
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
This is the second book in the Sheets Graphic Novel Series and I am absolutely hooked! This one had a lot of teenage drama but did a really good job discussing the reality of bullying. Trigger Warning for Depression and Suicidal Thoughts.
Overall I had a really good reading month where I read books that I truly enjoyed but heavy on the trigger warnings! Let me know if you decide to pick any of these up!
World of Bai 