For some reason I kept pulling reading this book off (mostly I think because I was afraid to be disappointed after hearing everyone rave about it), which I highly regret now… Legendborn exceeded all my high expectations and deserves all the praise in the world! It’s a contemporary fantasy with retold King Arthur legends, Southern Black Girl Magic, fully fleshed out characters and amazing gender fluid & LGBTQIA+ representation. It was absolutely spectacular, and so much more intense and gripping than I’d ever expected, and with so many layers. If you haven’t read this book yet, do yourself a favor and pick it up asap!

During her very first night on campus, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews witnesses a magical attack, which unlocks her own magic and hidden memories from the night her mother died. Wanting to learn the secrets of her mother’s dead, she stumbles upon a secret society of Legendborns. Bree recruits Nick, a self-exiled Legendborn with his own grudge against the group, and their reluctant partnership pulls them deeper into the society’s secrets—and closer to each other. But when the Legendborn reveal themselves as the descendants of King Arthur’s knights and explain that a magical war is coming, Bree has to decide how far she’ll go for the truth.

This book had such an amazing world building with the best mix of urban fantasy, old legends and southern mystic. It was also full of amazing and diverse characters, who were all so fleshed out and deeply human, so full of flaws and internal anger, and not clearly good or bad. I absolutely adored the badass, brave and strong-willed Bree, who just couldn’t stay away from danger but had to go look for it. And Nick was such a sweetheart, but I have to admit that the guy that I might be hoping for the romance part to take a somewhat other direction in the sequel… since there was a certain half-demon that might have stolen my heart…

All in all, this was a brilliant, addictive and unique urban YA fantasy that I recommend with all my heart! If you haven’t checked it out yet, please make sure to give it a try (even if fantasy isn’t your go to genre), I promise you won’t regret it!

Rating:
5 stars

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Author info:
Deonn Tracy

This was such a magical, romantic and emotional fantasy, with great humor, sweet friends-to-enemies-to-lovers and found family tropes and an amazing trans rep. It’s been a long time since I wanted to read a fantasy, but this book just pulled me in from the very first page and made me love this genre all over again! 

Let me start with the trigger warnings, because there are a lot of those – like violence, child abuse, suicide, misgendering, (fantasy) racism and sexual assault. But H.E. Edgmon has included such a wonderful note at the start of the book explaining how and why some content might have the potential to trigger some of the readers and why it’s important to go into the book prepared for what you might find. But still pointing out that The Witch King is not a queer pain narrative, but a story about queer hope and that it hopefully will offer the readers a bit of the same healing experience it gave H.E. Edgmon writing it.

The story follows trans witch Wyatt, who has run away from the fae kingdom to hide in the human world, but who is eventually found and has to face his traumatic past, his blood spelled destiny and the royal fiancé he left behind.

There were so many amazing characters in the story, who were all so fleshed out and deeply human, so full of flaws and internal anger, and not clearly good or bad. I really enjoyed the many grey characters and the plot twists that made you root for them, then despise them and then maybe root for them again… The main character, Wyatt, was so angry, bitter and selfish, but still managed to steal you heart. And the fiancé, Emyr, who was at first described as a fae monster (although a very hot one) soon turned into a completely sweetheart. I actually think that Emyr was my favorite character of them all, once I got to the real him. Wyatt’s found family was amazing at first and Briar was the supportive, fun and badass best friend we all want, but after learning some of their secrets I’m not sure what to think. Other than that I can’t wait to continue the series to find out more about it all!

I’m not sure how to describe the world building. It had a lot of the high fantasy parts, like faes, witches, blood spells, magic disguise and prophecies, but it still felt more like an urban fantasy somehow. Maybe because of the humor and all snarky banter, or because of the way modern technology, like laptops and cell phones, was included but didn’t ruin the magic. Either way, I loved it! I also really appreciated the way this story pinpointed topics like racism, colonialism and systematic oppression. Not to mention the amazing trans rep; it was so well done in the way it was interwoven into the story, and how Emyr immediately accepted to be engaged to a boy was really beautiful.

All in all, this was a magical fantasy romance that resonated with me on so many levels. I absolutely loved it and can’t wait to continue this series. Highly recommended!

Rating:
5 stars

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​Author info:
H.E. Edgmon

I absolutely loved this book! Surprisingly much actually! It had the same kind of vibes as The Charm Offensive, wonderful characters to root for, a slow burn romance (which is my favorite) and so much angst and pining! Extra plus for the ending that avoided the usual clichés and any potential cheesiness.

This is a story about the filming of a fictional literary classic (‘The Throne’) about a scandalous and tragical gay relationship during the Belle Epoque era (late 19th century). The filming takes place in Paris and stars the big Hollywood star Nicholas Madden (known as the ‘Big Bad Wolf’ for his short temper and arrogant ways) and the French influencer and model Chris Lavelle in his first real actor role.

For Nicholas, being a closeted gay, The Throne, means more to him than just another filming job and he wants it to pe perfect. Hence, he’s quite skeptical (to say the least) to the young and inexperienced Chris in the important role as his love interest. But the initial loathing soon turns into fascination and yearning, and the fictional and the real world risk getting mixed up, when the heat picks up both on set and off it. But is Nicholas willing to risk his career and let the world know the true him?

I really loved this story! It had the same kind of vibes as The Charm Offensive, which is one of my favorite reads so far this year. I loved the strong and fleshed-out characters. Not just the two main characters, but all of the characters in the book were so real and full of flaws, and so easy to root for. And I loved the bantering going on at the set and between the actors and the director, but of course especially the wonderful dialogues between Nicholas and Chris. I also loved the slow-burn romance. This was not a linear love story, but a romance with rather bumpy roads with up and downs, back and forths, and so much doubts and questioning, which made it much more relatable and gripping.

The story is told from dual POVs, which really added to the understanding for what the main characters were going through. It was so amazing to get to know Nicholas’ more vulnerable sides and see beyond his bad boy reputation, as well as to get to see Chris’ depths and learn about his family struggles. There was also almost a third POV in the way each chapter started with fictional blog posts, interviews or tweets. I enjoyed these external/social media posts for most parts, but sometimes they made the narrative feel a bit off track. But nothing too much to make this read any less enjoyable. And of course, Paris… who doesn’t love a story taking place in Paris and with croissants for breakfast?

All in all, this was an absolutely wonderful, sweet and heartwrenching gay romance story about daring to be vulnerable to get a chance of true love and happiness! Highly recommended!
​
Thank you to Carina Adores and Harlequin Publicity Team for the ARC and bookstagram tour invitation for this gem! All opinions are my own and I am leaving my honest review voluntarily.

Rating:
5 stars

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This was the perfect conclusion to the adorable, quirky, sweet and super queer Extraordinaries series! I love T.J. Klune’s humor and writing style and his adorkable characters! There were so many feels, and so many closures (both expected and totally unexpected ones). T.J. Klune managed to tie all lose ends together and give us a wonderful and completely satisfying wrap up.

Since this is the third book, I won’t get into the story too much to not spoil anything of this wonderful trilogy, but to say that it is about Nick, Seth, Gibby, and Jazz who are teenagers dealing with typical embarrassing coming of age stuff at the same time as they are superheroes known as the Extraordinaries bringing justice, protection, and disaster energy to the people of Nova City.

This series is completely over the top in the best possible way. It’s absolutely hilarious! T.J. Klune is an amazing storyteller who brilliantly nails the awkwardness of being a teenager and trying to figure out all the stuff about love, friendship and sex out (the scene with Nick’s dad helping him figuring the technical aspects of gay sex out almost killed me!), but it also touches on deeper subjects like neurodiversity, grief and loss of a parent. I absolutely love Nick and Seth, their friends and families (the dad squad is just the best!) and the way T.J. Klune lets his characters be themselves in all their awkwardness and relatability. I rooted so much for all characters and the romance was one of the sweetest ever.

All in all, this was a perfect ending to a perfect trilogy!

Thank you so much to Tor/Forge and NetGalley for the ARC of this gem! All opinions are my own and I am leaving my honest review voluntarily.

Rating:
5 stars

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​Author info:
T.J. Klune

I’ve been eagerly awaiting another Boys on the Brink novel, and Forbidden Steps was just the sweet, heartwarming and gripping story I had hoped for! Jamie Deacon always creates wholesome stories with fleshed out characters to root for, and Taylor and Ben stole my heart from the very start!

Taylor has had a really rough time the past year; his father left the family bankrupt, forcing them to sell the house and his mother married her former boss taking Taylor and his sister with her to a house Taylor felt like an intruder in. On top of that, his boyfriend dumped him and left him to be bullied by his friends.

Ben fled across the world a year ago, heartbroken and devasted after a toxic relationship, only to come home to a new stepmother and a boy he’s never met sharing his room. A boy he’s immediately intrigued by, even though they are now part of the same family… But Taylor clearly wants nothing to do with him, even though he’s clearly hurting and in need of a friend.

This was such a beautiful, heart-wrenching love story that completely drew me in from the very first page. It was so full of tension, angst, passion and heart-break. I loved the enemies-to-lovers trope and how well it was executed here. I read this whole book in one sitting, with a beating heart, desperately needing to know what would happen to Taylor and Ben.

The stepmother/Taylor’s mother was perhaps a bit too much of the evil stepmother cliché, but I loved Ben’s mother the more. I also would have wanted a certain other evil person to get what he deserved, but he was just faded out of the story, leaving Ben without the closure I think he’d deserved.

But that’s just a minor detail. All in all, the characters were so relatable and real. Jamie Deacon did an amazing job capturing the complicated family dynamics and how much damage a conflict between parents can cause their children. (In case the family ties seem confusing, I want to make it really clear that there is nothing tabu about Taylor and Ben getting feelings for each other. They are not in any way related and have not grown up together.)

I recommend this series with all my heart and can’t wait to continue reading more of Jamie Deacon’s adorable books!

Rating:
4.5 heartfelt stars rounding up to 5

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Beaten Track Publishing

​Author info:
Jamie Deacon

This sequel to The Extraordinaries was everything I’d hoped for! It was just as good, if not better, and just as hilarious and adorkable as the first book! I love the sex positivity and I also really appreciated the way T.J. Klune addressed the issues with police brutality and privilege to make a clear statement about the wrongfulness of some of the actions that didn’t sit well with me from the first book.

In this sequel, we once again return to Nova City and the adorable characters from the first book, and get to follow Nick who now has a superhero boyfriend in his childhood crush Seth. I just absolutely adore their relationship. I also appreciated how we got to see more of Gibby and Jazz in this book. It’s the characters and T.J. Klune’s humour that make this series so amazing! I just love the way he makes the characters be completely themselves in all their awkwardness and how they have to deal with ordinary teenage stuff (like promposals and embarrassing teenage romance situations), in the midst of all the superhero action.

All in all, Flash Fire was a perfect sequel and just as hilarious, sweet, queer and heartwarming as the first book in this wonderful series! Highly recommended!

Rating:
5 stars

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​Author info:
T.J. Klune

Apparently I have a thing for books about dating shows… First I loved The Charm Offensive, and now this one captured my heart as well! Never Ever Getting Back Together was such a heartfelt, adorable and addictive read about friendship, letting go of the anger that controls you and falling in love when and where you least expect it, with wonderful well-developed characters and great bisexual representation.

The main characters in this book are Maya and Skye, who are both contestants on a reality show where their shared ex-boyfriend, Jordy, is supposedly looking for a second chance romance with one of his former exes. Maya however, is not in the show for a chance to win Jordy’s heart, but to expose to the world what a horrible, selfish, mean and manipulative person he is. The only problem is that when Maya gets to know Skye, and stop hating her for being the girl who Jordy cheated on her with, the revenge on Jordy might not even be the main focus anymore…

As always, Sophie Gonzales made a wonderful job with her characters. They are always fleshed out and relatable, both likeable and unlikeable at the same time and allowed to make mistakes and grow. I loved the dual POV from Maya and Skye and watching their love for each other develop from both sides. I also loved all the other female side characters and their strong personalities, and the way they all became friends (and not toxic competitors as is often the case in many reality shows) to support each other against their joint enemy.

I have only two minor complaints. The first one is that the beginning was a bit slow and it was a bit odd to have a reality dating show with teenagers. How many exes can you have when you’re barely 20 years old, really? It also took a bit too long for Skye to start believing Maya (or for Maya to explain the cheating situation in a way that made sense…), they really should have been able to sort that out much sooner. The other thing was the way Jordy was described. Sophie Gonzalez sure did a good job letting us readers immediately see what a scumbag he was, but I just wish that there would have been more to his character that could explain why all these smart and strong girls would ever fall for him in the first place.

But those minor complaints set aside, this was such a wonderful, fast-paced and addictive story about revenge, love and friendship with a completely nerve wrecking and unpredictable ending. I read the second half of the book feverishly, totally hooked and not able to put it down until I knew how it all would end. The writing style was so smooth and with so much banter and humor that I had so much fun reading it. But there was also so much at stake that my heart was beating nervously all the way through. I desperately kept my fingers crossed for the happy ending Maya and Skye deserved, but feared that Jordy would get away with it all as usual.

May and Skye was such a wonderful couple and I really appreciated how the bisexual representation was made in such a believable and relatable, but also warm and heartfelt way.

All in all, this was a completely adorable, sweet, witty and enjoyable romcom that I had so much fun reading and recommend with all my heart!

Thank you so much to the publisher St Martins and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this gem! All opinions are my own and I am leaving my honest review voluntarily.

Rating:
4.5 stars rounding up to 5

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​Author info:
Sophie Gonzales

I absolutely loved this contemporary teen gay romance! It was such an adorable and sweet, but also so heart-wrenching and gripping, story with amazing fleshed-out characters with flaws and secrets that completely stole my heart. I read it feverishly in one sitting, hoping for the HEA the main characters so deserved, but fearing that the evil persons in their lives or the characters themselves would cause a train wreck hindering that. (Just be aware of the trigger warnings - parental abuse, violence and grief – before picking it up.)

In sixth grade Noah Stone is assigned an anonymous pen pal for a school assignment. Little did he know, when reluctantly writing his first letter, that the anonymous pen pal would become his closest confidant for the next years, nor that the anonymous pen pal would move to his school and find out who Noah was in real life. Neither could he ever suspect that the annoying but intriguing superjock Evan Santiago would be that pen pal, nor that he would be the one encouraging Noah to come out of the closet and make a move on a boy he fancies, even though the thought of Noah with someone else breaks Evan’s heart. Nor could he guess why Evan has all the bruises, why he’s so aggressive or why he’s so protective of his little brothers.

Evan keeps a devastating secret that he can’t confide in anyone, believing he doesn’t deserve to be loved, that he deserves the hell he’s living in. His life is full of fear and responsibilities, knowing he has to protect his little brothers from his abusive dad at all costs. The only positive thing going on in his life are his chats with the anonymous pen pal. But when he learns his identity by mistake, he no longer wants to stay trapped in his lie, and when he learns that Noah is interested too, he takes a chance at love, risking everyone he’s tried to protect, including himself.

This might seem like a light and funny YA gay romance, but it had such depths and sadness in addition to the sweet and heartwarming parts. Evan’s situation was absolutely devastating and I rooted so much for him. He was such a complex character, with his tough attitude to try to cover his insecurity and vulnerability, and with his loneliness, his compassion and his love for his little brothers. My heart ached for him, even when he made the most stupid choices. But also Noah had demons to struggle with and a father pushing him into things that were not his own choice.

They were both such wonderful characters, with depth and flaws, and their chemistry was just amazing! I loved the way Elizabeth Arroyo captured the suppressed feelings, their love and fear, and how she made us readers come along on Evan’s and Noah’s journey to finding themselves and coming to a decision what’s really worth living for.

My only minor complaint is that some parts of their relationship felt a bit too toxic. It was fully understandable knowing what Evan had had to deal with, but I still would have preferred if Evan hadn’t been as dominant and over protective of Noah all the time and that he hadn’t been so opposed to bottom, that part felt a bit problematic to be honest.

But all in all, My NOT So Anonymous Best Friend was such an addictive, emotional, poignant and sweet story about first loves and finding your forever that was both heartbreaking and heartwarming. I can’t recommend this book enough!
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of the book, which I have voluntarily reviewed.

Rating:
5 stars

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​Author info:
Elizabeth Arroyo

What a beautiful, sparkling little gem! This book was such a heartfelt, adorkable and sweet queer YA romance, full of relatable, fleshed-out characters to root for, a swooning friends-to-lovers romance, amazing friends and family, and some truly gripping and heartbreaking moments. I read this book in one sitting, completely hooked from the very first page!

Set in Brisbane in 2008, Henry Hamlet’s Heart tells the story of Henry Hamlet and his best friend Len during their last High School year; at that moment in life when you’re supposed to make important decisions impacting your whole future, but still struggling with the journey of growing up, finding out who you are and learning to love. There was so much Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda and Red, White & Royal Blue vibes to the story, but with some darker layers in the form of trauma after losing a parent, social awkwardness and anxiety, and bad/abusive parenting.

Henry and Len have been friends forever, despite their differences. Len is a heart-throb, a popular jock who is also on the debate team and love photography. Henry is clumsy, socially awkward and too smart for his own good sometimes. But somehow they’ve always matched. Even more than Henry had realized until a truth-and-dare kiss changes everything.

I absolutely loved Rhiannon Wilde’s writing style and the amazing friendship and dynamic between Henry and Len. I loved their banter and the humor, and not to mention the burning chemistry… Both of the characters immediately stole my heart in their own separate ways. I also really appreciated the little twist that the most popular of them both, Len, was the one that had been secretly pining for Henry, not the other way around as one would expect. The way Len always looked out for Henry and how he truly loved him for him and for all his quirks was truly adorable.

I also absolutely loved the side characters (except Len’s mean and abusive father). Their friends and family were all so well developed as characters and so sweet, hilarious and supportive.

The story dragged a little in the middle, but it was still addictive enough to stop me from putting it down even for a second.

All in all, this was an adorable, quirky, heartfelt and emotional friends-to-lovers story that I recommend with all my heart!

Thank you to NetGalley and Charlesbridge for the free review copy of this gorgeous YA book! All opinions are my own and I am leaving my honest review voluntarily.

Rating:
5 stars

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Booktopia

​Author info:
Rhiannon Wilde

I totally loved this witty, charming, empowering, rivals-to-lovers, banter-making-sparks-fly YA romance about a robot-building High School team! It really took me by surprise how fun and engaging this story was and how much I rooted for the characters! I read it in one sitting, completely hooked.

The story is told in dual POVs from Bel, the smart but quirky girl who has no clue what she wants to do with her life, and Teo, the overachieving captain of both the robotics club and the soccer team who has it all figured out and planned in every detail.

When Bel accidentally reveals a talent for engineering at school, she’s basically forced into joining the robotics club, and has to learn how to navigate in the competitive STEM world without giving up too much of herself in the process. And it doesn’t exactly help that Teo turns out to be so much more than the arrogant, stereotype rich jock she thought he was…

My heart immediately rooted for Teo with his absent yet extremely demanding dad, and all the pressure he himself and everyone around, put on him to be the best in everything. His character growth was amazing to follow and I just wanted for him to be happy. As for Bel, I loved how unique and complex she was as a character and how she was allowed to be both smart and nerdy, creative and quirky, but at the same time indecisive and with low self-esteem. She was such a fleshed out character and it was so relatable how she reacted to the challenges she faced as a girl in the harsh STEM environment and how girls are subject to hidden prejudice even by team mates and teachers who only mean well. I have to admit though, that at times I couldn’t help feeling a bit annoyed by her lack of direction and for not even trying to find out what she wanted from life, but it never stopped me from taking her to my heart. I really loved the hilarious banter between Bel and Teo, and how their teasing and arguing made sparks fly, yet allowing for their feelings to evolve at a slow pace.

There were also so many other amazing characters and complicated family dynamics that added so much to this story! And huge kudos to the author Alexene Farol Follmuth for managing the ending to be so satisfactory yet avoiding all pitfalls of cheesiness and predictability!

All in all, this adorable slow burn romance was such a pleasant surprise! Addictive, with funny dialogues and amazing chemistry, and with characters that completely stole my heart! And with an empowering message that hopefully will get more girls into engineering. Highly recommended!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this gem in advance! All opinions are my own and I am leaving my honest review voluntarily.

Rating:
4.5 adorable stars rounding up to 5

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My Mechanical Romance will be released on May 31, 2022, by Holiday House.
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​Author info:
Alexene Farol Follmuth