Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren

Synopsis (via Goodreads): Hazel Camille Bradford knows she’s a lot to take—and frankly, most men aren’t up to the challenge. If her army of pets and thrill for the absurd don’t send them running, her lack of filter means she’ll say exactly the wrong thing in a delicate moment. Their loss. She’s a good soul in search of honest fun.

Josh Im has known Hazel since college, where her zany playfulness proved completely incompatible with his mellow restraint. From the first night they met—when she gracelessly threw up on his shoes—to when she sent him an unintelligible email while in a post-surgical haze, Josh has always thought of Hazel more as a spectacle than a peer. But now, ten years later, after a cheating girlfriend has turned his life upside down, going out with Hazel is a breath of fresh air.

Not that Josh and Hazel date. At least, not each other. Because setting each other up on progressively terrible double blind dates means there’s nothing between them...right?

“And as someone you would never date, but who will soon be your best friend, I can say with no ulterior motive that I don’t like that you’re in a relationship with a potentially treasonous skank.”

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating wasn't what I was expecting, but it was everything I wanted. I was a little hesitant about Hazel at first, because I disliked how often she declared herself "undatable". However, I was happy to see that she was super confident, loved herself, and had no desire to be something she wasn't. She was eccentric, and it was beautiful. I'm also glad she was able to surround herself with people that loved her and didn't expect her to change.

I love that she had so many pets! Hazel is a girl after my own heart! I adored the names she gave them and think Christina and Lauren are lovely geniuses. Winnie the Poodle -- golden. I've never wanted a poodle before reading this book, and now I have a strong desire to adopt one and give it the same name.

Hazel had the best humor, and I really enjoyed her outside-the-box way of thinking and living. She inhaled life with every breath and didn't take anything for granted. "And two, I think there’s something about the eight-year-old brain that just resonates with me on a spiritual level."

Josh Im is perfection. He's quiet and thoughtful, but never judgmental. He has always accepted Hazel for who she is, even when she was vomiting all over his shoes, or feeding him barely-edible food. He actually listened when she spoke, and he appreciated her way of living life. I adored the two of them as friends, and liked watching their relationship grow. He was wary at first, but unable to resist Hazel's charms and her lovely personality. She declared herself his (sometimes inappropriate) best friend, and the two really hit it off. 

I read this book in less than twenty-four hours, if that tells you anything. I enjoyed the setting, the story, the characters -- all of it. They went on a couple of double dates, which were fun to watch, but I kept waiting for them to realize the other two people didn't matter. They were so focused on not admitting their feelings (unsure if the other person felt the same, and not wanting to alter their friendship), that they missed out on a lot of moments together. I just kept waiting for everything to click into place for both of them, and I think in the end it was done in the best possible way.

The epilogue might be my favorite part...

Mini Reviews [15]

The Other Bears by Michael Thompson

Synopsis (via Goodreads): An eloquent tale about tolerance and acceptance, this beautifully illustrated story shows how Mother and Father Koala's suspicions of the "other" bears are mollified. The Koalas don't like the pandas and don't trust the polar bears; they believe that black bears are noisy and that brown bears have big teeth. However, all of the Koalas' grumpiness melts away when they watch the littlest bears at play. Appealing to young and old readers alike, this picture book conveys an important message in a playful way. 

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I love, love, loved this book! It was a wonderful story that conveyed a really important message (yes, I know the synopsis says basically the same thing, but it's true). The adults always found something negative to say about the other families, while the children only saw kindness and the potential for friendship. They were open to meeting new people and making friends, while their parents acted annoyed and affronted. 

However, in the end... seeing all of the children playing together -- without judgement -- caused them to reevaluate their perspectives. Yay!

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When the Moon Comes by Paul Harbridge,

Matt James (Illustrator)

Synopsis (via Goodreads): In this atmospheric story, a group of kids play hockey on a frozen lake by moonlight. At once nostalgic and timely, this is a gorgeous book that will speak to readers young and old.

The beaver flood has finally frozen--perfect ice, without a bump or a ripple. For the kids in town, it's Christmas in November. They wait, impatiently, for the right moment.

Finally, it arrives: the full moon.

They huff and puff through logging trails, farms, back roads and tamarack swamps, the powdery snow soaking pant legs and boots, till they see it--their perfect ice, waiting. 

And the game is on.

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I think the writing in this book might be underappreciated by its target audience. I'm sure they'll enjoy reading it, but the writing was just so beautiful. It was elegant and flowed in a way that really made this story feel magical. 

As a parent, I would freak out if my kids were doing something like this (leaving in the middle of the night to walk through snow up to their waist, building a fire, and staying out until their toes are numb). It did make a good story, though. There's a lake or a pond in the middle of the woods, and they use the moonlight to play hockey on the surface (after they clear the snow away themselves). 

It was a story my husband really enjoyed reading to our son, and he encouraged me to read it afterwards so I could have the same experience. A really lovely book!

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Neither of these have a legitimate synopsis on Goodreads, but you can find Play with Your Food by David G. Derrick Jr. here, and We Love Dinosaurs by Lucy Volpin here.

Play with Your Food isn't a book I would have chosen for myself, but my son has always loved stories about dinosaurs. It ended up being quite a funny book, and not at all what I was expecting. The little guy avoids being eaten by trying to teach the larger dinosaur how to play games (which most children are already familiar with). His antics were enjoyable and the story was a lot of fun!

We Love Dinosaurs is a better fit for younger children that are still learning words and what they mean. The writing is very simple, but the illustrations are beautiful! I really loved all the colors and how they made the dinosaurs pop. This book gives examples of a dinosaur that eats plants, one that eats meat, another that likes to cuddle when it sleeps (I think), and so on.

We own The Other Bears, but the three library books will definitely be future purchases!

Royally Endowed (Royally, #3) by Emma Chase

Narrated by Shane East & Andi Arndt

Synopsis (via Goodreads): Logan St. James is a smoldering, sexy beast. Sure, he can be a little broody at times—but Ellie Hammond’s willing to overlook that. Because, have you seen him??

Sexy. As. Hell.

And Ellie’s perky enough for both of them.

For years, she’s had a crush on the intense, gorgeous royal security guard—but she doesn’t think he ever saw her, not really.

To Logan, Ellie was just part of the job—a relative of the royal family he’d sworn to protect. Now, at 22 years old and fresh out of college, she’s determined to put aside her X-rated dreams of pat-downs and pillow talk, and find a real life happily ever after.

The Queen of Wessco encourages Ellie to follow in her sister’s footsteps and settle down with a prince of her own. Or a duke, a marquis…a viscount would also do nicely.

But in the pursuit of a fairy tale ending, Ellie learns that the sweetest crushes can be the hardest to let go. (For the second half of the synopsis, please click the Goodreads link above. Thanks!)

“It’s not my fault keys abandon me. I put them in a specific spot, so I’ll know where they are for later—and I swear to God, they sprout legs and run away. Slippery, little Houdini bastards.”

Royally Endowed was the perfect conclusion for this series! Ellie and Logan made brief appearances in the other two books, and I enjoyed going back in time to see what they were doing while I was somewhere else. There were a few time jumps, and I thought it added to the slow burn of their romance. They've been fond of each other from the beginning, and now we get to see how their friendship and feelings grew over the years.

I loved Ellie! She was vibrant and sweet -- always looking out for others and finding ways to help. Her childhood was marred by the death of her mother and the subsequent absence of her father. Then her sister falls in love with a prince, which leaves her with a lovely security detail. I adored Logan and Tommy. Their banter and fierce protectiveness endeared them to me from the start. I know they would have kept Ellie safe, even if it hadn't been their job.

Logan was a softie, but only towards Ellie. She brought out a lightness in him that was rarely seen by others. Even his thoughts were spectacularly sweet and swoon-worthy. He has also worked really hard to get where he is today, and he doesn't want to do anything to jeopardize his position. However, falling in love with Ellie does just that. “I burn for you, sweet girl. I dream of you, even when I’m awake.”

Behind the scenes, there is an unknown person leaving threatening mail for Olivia and Nicholas (some of it pretty gruesome), and we get to see how that escalates throughout the story. It was interesting to have a mystery on top of all the romance that wasn't related to them specifically, but to people they cared deeply about.

Royally Endowed was different from the previous two books, because Logan and Ellie had a very long history. They've been around each other since her senior year of high school, and I really enjoyed experiencing their journey with them. “Somebody once told me a slow-burning fire is the hottest – and it must be true. Because Logan and I are a fucking inferno.”

If you're looking for a wonderful story with some of the best characters, I highly recommend this series. I've laughed out loud, cried a little, and blushed a lot. Emma Chase knows her stuff! Oh, and I know I've said this before... but the narrators are amazing.

“'Do we still hang people?' Henry asks, philosophically. When he doesn’t get an answer, he adds, 'If not, I’m bringing hanging back.' So that’s what Justin Timberlake would sound like if he were a serial killer.”

My Weekly Pull [36] & Can't Wait Wednesday [6]

My Weekly Pull is something I do every Wednesday to show which comics I had pulled for me that week! If you're into comics, or you're looking to start, please join me! If you decide to do your own post, leave a link in the comments. I would love to stop by and check it out!

Ant-Man and the Wasp #5 (of 5) by Mark Waid, Javi Garron, David Nakayama

Jacob's comics for the week!

Optimus Prime #23 by John Barber, Priscilla Tramontano, Kei Zama

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Urban Legends #5 by Gary Carlson, Frank Fosco

Transformers Unicron #4 (of 6) by John Barber, Alex Milne, James Raiz

Deadpool #4 by Skottie Young, Nic Klein

Spider-Man Deadpool #38 by Robbie Thompson, Jim Towe, Dave Johnson

Venom First Host #2 by Mike Costa, Mark Bagley, Rod Reis

Only one comic for me this week! I've enjoyed Ant-Man and the Wasp, but it was something I could have lived without. It wasn't a comic I anticipated each week (or was it month... I can't remember), although it was somewhat entertaining. I think I grabbed this one because I enjoy the Ant-Man movies, but it just wasn't the same. 

I know Jacob and our son are really enjoying the different Transformers comics! They've piqued my interest, so I'll probably try them myself soon.

Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings, that highlights upcoming releases that we're anticipating and excited to read. It's a spinoff of the feature Waiting on Wednesday that was hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

My Favorite Half-Night Stand by 

Christina Lauren

Expected publication: December 4th 2018

Synopsis (via Goodreads): From the New York Times bestselling author that “hilariously depicts modern dating” (Us Weekly) comes a sexy romantic comedy about online dating, and its many, many fails.

With a world-famous speaker at their university, Mille Morris and her four woefully single male colleagues make a pact that they’ll all find dates. Unfortunately, Millie has more success helping them make matches online than she does navigating the onslaught of lewd pics in her own feed. But when she creates a fictional name for a new account, Millie finds herself vying for the online attention of a man she sees every day in the flesh.

I loved Autoboyography by these two, and I recently started Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating. It was published yesterday, and they already have something new coming out in December. They're on fire!

My Favorite Half-Night Stand sounds like it's going to be just as enjoyable and probably pretty hilarious. I cannot wait to get my hands on this!

Meant To Be Broken (Carolina Clay, #1) by Brandy Woods Snow

Synopsis (via Goodreads): Rayne Davidson is perfectly happy fading into the background. Her mama’s antics garner enough attention in their small Southern town for the both of them, but when Rayne catches the eye of all-star QB, Preston Howard, she’s enamored with the possibilities. Too bad Preston doesn’t make her heart thump—but his brother does.

Gage Howard doesn’t mind the town’s stares, probably because he doesn’t get them. Growing up in his older brother’s shadow, Gage shrugs off the endless parade of girls Preston brings home—until Rayne.

But there are unwritten rules that shouldn’t be broken, like cheating on your boyfriend or betraying your brother. Rayne and Gage deny their growing attraction, neither willing to hurt Preston—until the town finds out.

They think overcoming the gossip will be the hardest obstacle.

They’re wrong.

Rayne’s mama has a secret, and its revelation could divide the town, the families, and the new couple.

Can love really exist if it’s all built on a lie? 

"Love is supposed to create a spark, a chemical connection that roots around in your gut and drives you just a little crazy but in a really good way."

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

Meant To Be Broken was excruciating in every single way. It's going to be hard to review without spoilers, so some of my comments might seem vague.

First, the book was longer than it needed to be. I was completely invested in the story for the first half, but when Gage does something selfish (thinking he's being selfless), I stopped enjoying it as much. However, I was patient and understood he needed time to figure things out, but then Rayne keeps her own secret that further prolongs the story. There shouldn't have been any hesitation on her part, and I really wish everyone had just been honest from the beginning.

I was okay with the love triangle, because I thought it was written well, but the secrets really grated on my nerves. It was obvious both Rayne and Gage cared deeply about Preston, and neither of them wanted to hurt him. They never crossed a line, but they did stand right on top of it. I thought that entire situation could have been handled better, although it felt realistic. The small town atmosphere was authentic and familiar, and the Southern accents reminded me of my childhood -- especially the gossip and drama.

I really like how the book ended, but I wish they had been able to get there another way. The author puts them through a lot of pain, which means we share their grief and their heartache. It was really bad at one point, and I thought I was going to scream at the pages. I wanted to shove my hands down their throats and force the right words to come out. It would have been so simple, and it would have kept them from hurting more than they were.

There's a lot more I want to say about the second half of the book, but everything after this will contain spoilers, so read at your own risk. Highlight to view spoilers >>> Gage leaves everyone behind to find his grandparents and learn more about his mother, which is completely understandable, but everything after that felt off. The time spent with his newfound family was short-lived, but also brought drastic changes to his life. He suddenly wants to join the Army, and still doesn't contact Rayne. She can't tell him she's pregnant with his baby, because she has no way of getting in touch with him. It was an awful situation for her, and Gage makes it worse by asking Preston to be there for her. He just hopes she'll wait for him, but he's given her no reason to.

I thought the Army references, and the pregnancy descriptions were spot-on. The author has either experienced them herself, or done extensive research. I've personally experienced both, and I felt like I was reliving parts of my past. Rayne's mother also had a tragic story, and one that did not get a happy ending. She died thinking she'd committed some atrocity, a weight she carried from that day forward, but the "accident" wasn't her fault.

Meant To Be Broken also made me stabby. There are a few characters that are truly terrible people. One is a mother, and that's completely unacceptable to me. The father in this scenario should have said and done more than he did, too. Two people masqueraded as a friends, but it was clear they always had ulterior motives. "I check over my shoulder—Preston’s still chatting in the kitchen, ignorant of the fact his brother and I are about to cut a bitch."

Everyone was hurt, and everyone deserved better. I thought it was a truly remarkable story that left an impression, but I wish it had been slimmed down a little. There was too much torment, if that makes sense. I kept waiting for the happily ever after, but felt like I had to swim through sewage to get there. 

Roar (Stormheart, #1) by Cora Carmack

Narrated by Soneela Nankani

Synopsis (via Goodreads): In a land ruled and shaped by violent magical storms, power lies with those who control them.

Aurora Pavan comes from one of the oldest Stormling families in existence. Long ago, the ungifted pledged fealty and service to her family in exchange for safe haven, and a kingdom was carved out from the wildlands and sustained by magic capable of repelling the world’s deadliest foes. As the sole heir of Pavan, Aurora’s been groomed to be the perfect queen. She’s intelligent and brave and honorable. But she’s yet to show any trace of the magic she’ll need to protect her people.

To keep her secret and save her crown, Aurora’s mother arranges for her to marry a dark and brooding Stormling prince from another kingdom. At first, the prince seems like the perfect solution to all her problems. He’ll guarantee her spot as the next queen and be the champion her people need to remain safe. But the more secrets Aurora uncovers about him, the more a future with him frightens her. When she dons a disguise and sneaks out of the palace one night to spy on him, she stumbles upon a black market dealing in the very thing she lacks—storm magic. And the people selling it? They’re not Stormlings. They’re storm hunters.

Legend says that her ancestors first gained their magic by facing a storm and stealing part of its essence. And when a handsome young storm hunter reveals he was born without magic, but possesses it now, Aurora realizes there’s a third option for her future besides ruin or marriage.

She might not have magic now, but she can steal it if she’s brave enough.

Challenge a tempest. Survive it. And you become its master. 

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Brace yourselves... I wish there had been less kissing. Gasp! I know! Now, I am a huge fan of having sexy scenes in books. In fact, there are times when I grab a book specifically for its romance. However, when Aurora kisses someone, she does it in excruciating detail. 

For example:

He would rub his hands up her arms.

Elaborate kissing.

He would run his hands down her arms. 

Elaborate kissing. 

Her hand would find the hair at the nape of his neck.

Elaborate kissing. 

In fact, they didn't actually kiss that often -- two or three times -- but those moments went on and on. It was only a minor irritation, but I wish the author had left a little more to the imagination, or allowed them to explore other parts of one another. I think it's because we're in Aurora's head for the entirety of the book, and she overthinks everything.

A few other things that irked me were the ending and Aurora's inability to trust. She kept so many secrets! It kept people from getting close and being able to help her. As for the ending, it passed in a blur. There were so many conversations that needed to be had, plans to be made... but no. We go from Point A to Point B in just a few pages, and then the story ends. To be continued...

Despite all of this, I really enjoyed the book. I loved the concept and how it was executed. I thought the potentially sentient storms, magical or natural, were fascinating. Their ability to wreck havoc, and do it with a purpose, was new and captivating. At first I had no idea how the author planned to battle storms, but even that was written in a way that was believable and left me feeling satisfied.

I really liked Nova as a character and wish she had been more involved in the story. She was crucial to a lot of plans, but she's also largely ignored for most of the book. I wish she had left with Aurora and had a chance to discover herself and her magic. I think she has more to offer the story, so I hope she's a more prominent character in the next one.

Like I said before, I really enjoyed Roar. Less kissing and a more fleshed out ending would have made me happier, but I'll live. I'm also counting on there being fewer secrets in the next one, which will also make me happy. The world-building and the characters were amazing. I loved her new group of friends and comrades, and I'm anxious to see how their relationships will change once they know she's a princess and a Stormling.

I recommend this one if you're looking for a fun fantasy with a barely-there romance (slow burn), and a girl trying to discover who she is while simultaneously creating her own path in life.

State of the ARC [4]

This is a relatively new meme started over at Avalinah’s Books for tracking your ARC progress. I actually really love this idea and think it will help me better manage my current reads! 

At the end of August 2018:

The Owls Have Come to Take Us Away by Ronald L. Smith

Things I'd Rather Do Than Die by Christine Hurley Deriso

Love and Other Secrets by Christina Mandelski

Seeking Fate (The Fated, #3) by Brenda Drake

I requested very few books this month (which is good because I only read one book from July's State of the ARC.) I believe everything is a September release except for The Owls Have Come to Take Us Away, so I have time. I'm pretty sure its being published next year, and 2019 feels impossibly far away.

I didn't realize Seeking Fate was the third book in a series when I requested it, so I'm going to save it for last. If I have time to read the other two books in the series, I will, but I'll try reading it as a standalone if I'm short on time. Has anyone read this series? If so... how are they and would you recommend reading them in order? Thanks!

I only managed to read The Raging Ones from my previous ARC list, but I tackled quite a few from my backlog. I consider that a great accomplishment, haha. I'll be getting to these soon! 

What are you reading right now? Are you enjoying it? Should I read it??