Hello everyone! I hope you had an amazing August! I can’t believe summer is nearly over. The summer felt so short and underwhelming 😩 I had so many plans and ideas of things I wanted to do but ultimately I did almost nothing worthwhile #thanksCOVID. August was another really great reading month for me! I start my new job this month so I’m not sure if I’ll be able to read as much in September, but I’m really excited about some of the books on my TBR!

I will also be participating in the #ThePoppyWarathon read-along hosted by Krisha and Nandini! If you’ve been wanting to read this amazing series but haven’t yet, now is the perfect time! Check out all the details here.

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THE BURNING GOD: I am speechless. Literally. It’s been four weeks and I still can’t bring myself to sit down and write a full formed review with all my thoughts. The stakes were raised even higher and wow did R.F. Kuang deliver. There is nonstop action and so many nail-biting moments. The characters. The angst. The deaths. Y’all are not ready for this book. Prepare yourselves.  ARC provided by Harper Voyager through NetGalley.  ★★★★½

POLARIS RISING: This book was such an adventure from the first chapter, al the way up until the final pages. I absolutely loved the dynamic between Ada and Loch. Their chemistry was amazing from their first few scenes together and it made the transition into something more feel so natural and believable. This had everything I wanted in a sci-fi/space opera story: adventure, fast-paced story, romance, and high stakes. It made me really excited for the next two books in the series!  ★★★★  [review]

AURORA BLAZING: This is the second book in the Consortium Rebellion series and is centered around Ada’s older sister, Bianca. This book was more plot-centric than the first, and less focused on the romance. Ian and Bianca had some serious chemistry and unresolved angst going on, so I really wish the author would have explored that more. I was disappointed by the lack of romance, but delight by the thrilling adventures, plot twists, and betrayals this one gave readers.  ★★★½  [review]

CHAOS REIGNING: As with Aurora Blazing, there is a lot more going on plot-wise. However, I also felt like the author kicked up the romance a notch so I really appreciated that. Alex and Cat made a really good team, despite Cat’s reluctance to work with him at first, and it was hard not to root for these two. This was the perfect blend of romance and exciting sci-fi action. I’m really looking forward to reading Jessie Mihalik’s next series!  ★★★½  [review]

LOATHE AT FIRST SIGHT: This book is marketed everywhere as a romantic comedy–which it absolutely is not–and that poor marketing really did it a disservice. It’s actually women’s fiction with a very subtle romance that focuses more on misogyny and sexism in the workplace. not a bad book, it was just not the book for me. I felt like I was falsely lured into reading this with the promise of a workplace enemies-to-lovers romance.  ARC provided by Avon through Edelweiss.  ★★★  [review]

MAJESTY: I’m typically a huge fan of Katherine McGee’s books: they’re full of delicious drama, juicy secrets, complex characters, and angsty romance. I absolutely adored American Royals and I was really looking forward to reading this sequel, however, reading this felt like I was in the Twilight Zone. This book was not anything close to what I had been expecting. Between the romances, the lack of closure, and all of the unanswered questions, this was just bad bad.  ARC provided by Random House Children’s through NetGalley.  ★★  [review]

PREY: My uncle actually lent me this book after a brunch visit to him, my aunt, and my grandma. We got to talking about books and while we have pretty different tastes, he recommended this to me after he learned that I really enjoyed Jurassic Park. And I’m so glad I picked this up! I love reading scientific thrillers and I was totally hooked by this book.  ★★★★

THE ROOMMATE: The premise of this book is a rom-com lover’s dream: two people forced to live in a shared space together. I really enjoyed this and all of the sex positivity. I thought the author did a great job showing that adult entertainment industry in a more positive way, while also illustrating some of the more unpleasant aspects like abuse (mental, sexual, financial, etc). I did have a few small issues: I thought Clara felt flat and the chemistry between her and Josh was severely lacking.  ARC provided by Berkley through NetGalley.  ★★★½  [review]

NO OFFENSE: I can only be describe this book as bland. From the characters to the story, there is no substance and no depth. I’m not even sure why I continued to read because it was clear from the beginning that I felt absolutely no connection at all to this book. Both Molly and John have zero personality and on top of their lack of personality, there was not a shred of chemistry between these two. In short, this book completely bored me and was as bland as white bread.  ★★  [review]

NEMESIS: The wait between this book and the previous one did me a disservice, as it was difficult to recall all of the characters and events of the past. Because of that, I felt really disconnected from this book as I have from the other books in the series. That being said, I think the book did a wonderful job wrapping up the trilogy and readers are sure to be pleased by the ending!  ARC provided by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers from NetGalley.  ★★★

YOU HAD ME AT HOLA: I’ll fess up and admit this book was not really on my radar, but I kept seeing so many amazing reviews that I decided to give it a try. Such a great decision! I absolutely adored this book! I’ve been disappointed lately by rom-coms but this was everything I was looking for! Also, this book got me to start watching Jane the Virgin which I am now obsessed with.  ★★★★½

RECURSION: Why is it that every Blake Crouch book makes me feel like a total fucking idiot? As with Dark Matter, this book was a total mindfuck. My mind was whirling the entire time I was reading and there were so many twists and turns. These books honestly are like a full body workout out but for your brain.  ★★★★

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OTHER

Blog Tour: Where Dreams Descend | Let’s Talk Bookish: Content Warnings | Top Ten Tuesday: Books I’d Love to See on Netflix | Celebrating 900 Followers: Book Depository Giveaway | Blog Tour: Lobizona | Top Ten Tuesday: Books With Colors in the Title

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BLOGGER SHOUT-OUTS

✨ Word Wonders weekly meme #ColortheShelves – Fadwa started a new feature on her blog this year she interviews marginalized authors with upcoming releases to talk about their books!

✨ Bellerose Reads discusses negative reviews and blogger reliability – Cielo wrote a great post about the dilemma of negative reviews whether the kinds of reviews bloggers write effect their reliability to reviewers.

✨ A Book. A Thought’s new weekly meme – Sofii has started a new bookish meme for Sundays called Colorful Bookish Sunday! The idea is to prioritize books on your TBR organized by the color of the covers. I love reading her posts; they’re always so well-written and put together!

✨ The Midnight Book Blog – Juliana is new to blogging and I’m blown away by how beautiful their blog aesthetic is. Help me welcome her to the book blogging world!