This was an absolutely marvelous read! Such a poignant, angsty and passionate story about forbidden love and political oppression set in the 1980s Poland. So beautifully written that it felt like reading poetry, and so addictive and heart-wrenching that I read it in one sitting.

The story is told by Ludwik Glowaki, now living in New York but looking back at his life in communist Poland. As a university student, Ludwik was sent to a summer agricultural camp, where he met the handsome and carefree Janusz. Spending the late summer evenings together by the river, the two of them fell madly in love, but their intense affair was not only condemned by the Catholic society, it was also a criminal offense and something of which even the slightest suspicion would draw the attention of the communist party.

Tomasz Jedrowski has a way with words that is absolutely brilliant. The writing style was so beautiful and poetic, precise yet vivid, and with a wonderful smooth flow, even though the story was such a heartbreaking one and so full of melancholy. In this debut, Tomasz Jedrowski wove together a vivid and intriguing story showing the political system, the homophobia, how the old communist regime was beginning to crumble but had not yet lost its controlling power and the different ways in which Ludwik and Janusz adjusted to the circumstances to eventually find themselves on opposite sides of the political divide. It captured the atmosphere and the suppressed feelings, longings and tension between the character in a perfect way, and showed how the reality with a society built on connections, the poverty and misery amongst the people, the way the uproar was formed and how it all affected the characters’ behavior and choices, left Ludwik and Janusz to struggle not only with their forbidden love, but also to see their relationship slowly being torn apart by their political differences.

All in all, I absolutely loved this book and recommend it with all my heart! Swimming in the Dark was such a poignant and gripping, melancholy yet heartwarming and beautifully romantic story about forbidden love and the struggle for freedom in a turbulent historical era. I know that this breathtakingly emotional and engaging story and its complex and amazing characters will stay in my heart for a very long time!

Thank you so much Jonathan (Wander with Jon) for the recommendation that made me discover this gem!

Rating:
5 stars

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Tomasz Jedrowski

I absolutely LOVED this book! It was such an emotional, completely addictive and swooning rivals-to-friends-to-lovers story with amazing character growth! And some truly amazing chemistry between the main characters... I read this book in one sitting, completely hooked from the very first page!

The two main characters of this story are Ryan and Cody, two seventeen boys who are bound by some very dysfunctional and toxic family ties, but have never been close. On the contrary, as the family’s trouble kid, Ryan has always been compared to the perfect Cody and never met his standards… Ryan is something of a carefree happy-go-lucky surfer guy, who doesn’t worry about the future but more about the next party or about pulling pranks on his sisters. He’s also out and proud as bisexual. Cody on the other hand is the perfect on paper son, who is a high achieving musician, talented tennis player and extremely well behaved. But he also struggles with a lot of issues, such as anxiety and being secretly gay, as Ryan will get to find out after a summer when circumstances collide, and the two boys end up spending time together at Cody’s family’s beach house.

In case the family ties seem confusing, I want to make it really clear that there is nothing tabu about Ryan and Cody getting feelings for each other. They are not in any way related by blood and have not grown up together, even though they share the same half-sisters since Ryan’s Mom and Cody’s Dad were previously married and had two daughters together, before they spit up in a very nasty divorce. After that they both remarried and had a son each (Ryan and Cody) in their second marriages. So nothing inappropriate or tabu, but complicated to say the least… especially since Ryan’s Mom and Cody’s Dad absolutely hate each other and uses their daughters (Ryan’s and Cody’s sisters) as ammunition in their own private war.

I absolutely loved Jax Calder’s writing style and the amazing rivalry and love/hate-dynamic between Ryan and Cody. 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. The toxic family drama, the slow-burn and their emotional rollercoaster when realizing their feelings for each other and the consequences all felt very real and realistic. My heart ached for the struggle Ryan and Cody had to go through. Jax Calder did an amazing job capturing the complicated family dynamics between the two families and how much damage a conflict between parents can cause their children. A detail that I truly could relate too which made Cody even more real and authentic was his disgust for raisins. I feel the same way too, and it made me root for him even more.

All in all, The Other Brother was an absolutely amazing book! It was a truly adorable and emotional slow-burn enemies-to-lovers Romeo and Juliet kind of romance with all the feels and character growth. I read it in one sitting, it was so addictive and I rooted so much for all characters that I just couldn’t bear to put it down until the very end! I can’t recommend it enough!
​
Thank you to Xpresso Book Tours and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC for this wonderful book! All opinions are my own and I am leaving my honest review voluntarily.

Rating:
5 stars

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Jax Calder

Aristotle and Dante Discovers the Secret of the Universe is one of my favorite books, and I have to admit that I was a bit nervous that this sequel would somehow ruin my view of the first book, or simply just disappoint. But it didn’t. It so didn’t! I can’t tell you how happy I am that this sequel that I didn’t even know I needed is out in the world. It was just as brilliant, heartbreaking and beautiful as the first book, if not more!

Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World continues after the happy ever after- ending of the first book, showing the complexity and struggles with building a relationship and how to stay in love when the world doesn’t approve of it. Even though this sequel wasn’t even expected at the time of the first book, nor necessary in any way to complete the first part of the story, it was such a magical addition to it. I loved being back in Ari’s and Dante’s world again and to see their relationship develop, and see them continue to explore their identity and sexuality, while trying to find their place in the world.

In the first book I had some problem to connect with Ari at first, but here he just stole my heart right away since he was much more open. It’s amazing how much he’d grown and learned since the first book and how he developed even further, embracing the world in a completely new way, throughout this story.

“As I felt the beating of Dante’s heart against the palm of my hand, I wished I could somehow reach into my chest and rip out my own heart and show Dante everything that it held.”

The dialogues and writing style are absolutely remarkable. Almost every sentence in the book is quotable. And the side characters are all absolutely outstanding. One of my favorite aspects of the first book was the family dynamics and they were even better in the sequel. Both books in this series contain such beautiful portraits of all the parents and how they are real persons with their own sad stories, feelings and shortcomings.

The only part that didn’t blow me away was the ending. It felt really rushed, with some major events coming out of nowhere. Some parts also felt almost a bit cheesy in the way Benjamin Alire Sáenz really wanted to wrap things up and find some kind of happy ending for everyone. Like how a random guy at a party came out to his friends thanks to Ari in a way that didn’t feel authentic at all. But this is just a minor complaint, and overall I absolutely LOVED this book!

It was just as wonderful, painful and honest as the first book, but with some more added snarkiness and amazing character development. It also really appreciated how this book addressed some really important issues with the AIDS and Act Up references, weaving it into Ari’s and Dante’s struggles to dare to love without feeling shame. I called the first book one of the most intelligent YA books I’ve ever read, and this sequel deserves the same praise. Thank you Benjamin Alire Sáenz for writing this magical and unexpected gift! I can’t recommend this book enough!

Rating:
​5 stars

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This is the second book in the intriguing and addictive Arthur Academy series. I was so hooked by the first book, Broken Wing, and the amazing and complex characters who stole my heart, and have been eagerly awaiting this sequel ever since. And it sure did not disappoint! On the contrary, if anything this second book was even more intense and addictive than the first one. I read it all in one sitting with a beating heart, too nervous about all scheming and the potential hurt for my beloved Hendrix and Paxton.

This series is told in alternating POVs from two of the students at the elite college Arthur Academy – new scholarship girl Hendrix with a dark background being abused by her violent father and the school king and elite leader Paxton, who has never cared for anyone until Hendrix somehow manages to get under his skin. So much that he’s willing to stand up against his father and risk not only losing all his privileges but his father’s rage.

I don’t want to give away any spoilers by going too much into details of all things happening in this book, but just let me tell you that there is a lot going on! Reading this story was like riding a rollercoaster... I cared so much for Hendrix and Paxton, but also their friends Lucy and Austin, and desperately wanted things to be alright for them.

On the surface, this series might look like a glamorous story about privileged high school brats and their shallow problems, like Gossip Girl taking place at an elite boarding school instead of the Upper West, but there is so much more going on beneath. There is abuse and scheming, there is toxic loyalty and the feeling of being caged by a life you were born into but do not want, and there are complex fleshed-out characters with flaws and secrets and hidden sorrows that make you root completely for them. There is also fake dating, which is one of my favorite tropes.

Kathleen Mareé has done an excellent job wrapping this story up, while keeping the suspense all the way through, and for not shying away from any heavy and dark topics. I read the whole story with a beating heart, so afraid of any of the plans misfiring or any of the main characters getting their heart broken or being caught in the crossfire of other people’s cruel scheming. Honestly, I was a wreck when I reached the last page after all unexpected twists and turns… But I’m so happy with the ending, and especially the note from Kathleen Mareé that there might be a companion story coming, which I desperately want to read now!

Thank you to the author Kathleen Mareé for the possibility to read this fabulous book in advance! 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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Website • Facebook • Instagram • Twitter • Goodreads

Abdi Nazemian’s Like A Love Story is one of my all time favorite books; it completely blew me away and I’ve reread it several times, always finding new depths to the story and getting my heart broken for the characters. So The Chandler Legacies has been one of my most anticipated releases since I first heard of it and I was so happy and grateful for the chance to read an eARC of it thanks to SparkPoint. And while it’s a very different story from Like A Love Story, The Chandler Legacies and its wonderful characters definitely stole my heart too.

This is a beautiful, gripping and heartbreaking story following five students at a privileged elite boarding school. It’s both a dark tale revealing how they experience the toxic and abusive culture in different ways, as well as a hopeful and warm story about their dreams and hopes and friendships.

All of the five students get their own chapters to tell the story from different POVs: Beth who is a “townie” and doesn’t feel like she belongs neither in her new elite environment or at home in her old one, Sarah who desperately wants to succeed and build a new future for herself, Spence who is the privileged daughter of NYC elites but who wants to achieve things on her own, Freddy who has worked so hard to become an elite athlete, but who starts to doubt his life choices, and Ramin who has transferred to Chandler to escape the danger of being gay in Iran, only to find himself the victim of brutal hazing under the guise of tradition in the boys’ dorm. I really appreciated the diverse cast and the complexity of issues they all dealt with. Ramin resembles the author himself very much, and Abdi Nazemian has explained that the story is based on true events from his own youth, which makes these events even harder to read about.

Overall, this was quite a dark story (much darker than I had first expected), but Abdi Nazemian handled the story and the tough topics in such a delicate and realistic way. A lot of times there was a sense of hopelessness about how everything got silenced and how toxic behavior was even encouraged as part of the tradition, but with the Circle, a coveted writing group led by Professor Douglas, as the light in the darkness. It was so beautiful and wonderful to see how the writing sessions brought the five characters together and empowered them to be brave and true to themselves. This book is something of an ode to the power of the written word and how important friendship and to have a safe place in life is.

I immediately rooted for Ramin, Freddy and Spence, but Sarah took a little longer to warm up to. And sadly I never really felt like I got to know Beth. As a character she felt bland and didn’t add so much to the story. I think the story could have benefited from fewer POVs, where each character could have gotten more time and been more fleshed out. I would have loved to learn even more about the backgrounds of especially Ramin and Freddy, and Professor Douglas.

But all in all, this was such a gripping and poignant story that held me captivated all the way through and made me root for many of the characters. Even though it was so dark and showed all toxic sides of a culture build on silence, fear and nepotism, it also gave me so much hope and warm fuzzy feelings for the wonderful friendship and how the Circle members had each others’ backs. It was also a wonderful coming-of-age story and the character growths were absolutely amazing! The way they all, and especially Ramin, eventually dared to be true to themselves and stand up for their beliefs was such a hopeful and wonderful message.

Thank you to Sabrina Kenoun, SparkPoint Studio and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own and I am leaving my honest review voluntarily.

Rating:
4.5 gripping stars rounding up to 5

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​Author info:
Abdi Nazemian

This is such a brilliant book that completely floored me and took my breath away! It’s a retelling of the story of Achilles and the Trojan War from the Greek mythology, but it’s so so much more than that. While being true to most of the foundation of the Iliad, Madeline Miller has created a completely new story; her own epic, heartbreaking, beautiful and overwhelming story about the love between Achilles and Patroclus.

The Song of Achilles tells the tale of how Achilles, the son of the mortal king Peleus and the sea goddess Thetis, became the greatest warrior of the army of Agamemnon in the Trojan War, but from the eyes of Patroclus. This was such a brilliant take, where Madeline Miller could stay true to the legends and works of Homer, but create her own epic love story focusing on the human side of the Trojan War and Achilles legend. I loved how we got to see the human parts of Achilles and got to know him, and feel for him, through Patroclus. I also loved the backstory of them as young, and to see how their friendship evolved into a beautiful, burning, undying romance.

I’ve never cared much for Achilles, he’s always been such a one-dimensional character for me in the legends and with so many bad traits. But Madeline Miller manages to show us the human behind the myth. She lets him keep his unattractive qualities, but also shows us how he’s struggling and how he also has a gentler side and a moral compass. And how deeply he loves Pactroclus and to what length he’s willing to go to protect him.

I was completely overwhelmed by the intensity of the feelings in this story. The love between Achilles and Patroclus was so pure and wonderful, and they were so loyal, brave and confident in their love and how they were meant to be together. How they never lied to each other and how they managed to find their own peace and happiness despite the brutal war around them and the scheming of Achilles mother, Agamemnon and others. I read it with a beating heart, waiting for the inevitable to happen… But even though I expected it, I never expected it to leave me so devastated and heartbroken.

The way Madeline Miller tells the story is just superb. She sure has a way with words, and managed to make all of the characters fully fleshed out and relatable, and tell the story in such a beautiful, almost poetic way. Even though there were many historical details and mythological facts, this book never felt heavy or stuffed to read. On the contrary, it was such a fast-paced and addictive story that swept you off on an intriguing roller coaster of a journey.

The Song of Achilles is an absolutely brilliant book that I will never forget. It was painful to read at times, so intense and emotional, and it truly broke my heart, but it was so worth it. It was such a powerful and amazing story that I couldn’t put it down, and in the end, I was devastated not only for the ending of the story, but also for the feeling of loss that ending the book left me with. This book is definitely on my top ten of all time favorites and a book I recommend everyone to read!

Rating:
5 stars

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​Author info:
Madeline Miller

This is such a unique and beautiful coming-of-age story about finding yourself and your place within the traditions you wish to honor but still being true to who you are and who you love. Ánte is a Sámi teenager (same in Swedish, the indigenous people of the Northern parts of Finland, Norway and Sweden) and loves the Sámi culture and the reindeer herding work, but can he be part of that and gay at the same time? Or does he have to choose; either be true to himself and risk the repulsion of the others, or hide and be accepted within the community?

This book completely blew me away. It was so beautifully written and with such raw emotions. I immediately rooted for the main character, Ánte, and his best friend Erik, as well as many of the side characters. (Lasse who will make an appearance at the end of the book is one of my favorite characters ever, just have to point that out without hopefully giving away any spoilers.) I also loved the way the Sámi culture was described and the close connection to the land, but also how the heritage and dark history with discrimination and oppression was weaved into the story.

“Are there any homosexual reindeer herders?”

This is what Ánte googles in the beginning of the book, trying to sort out his feelings for his best friend Erik and trying to understand how he can go on with the life he loves as a reindeer herder but be open with the possibility that he might be gay when he’s never heard of any gay herders, only whispers about people leaving Jokkmokk.

Ánte’s doubts and worry, his feelings that he’s about to burst and go crazy if he doesn’t figure out what’s wrong with him, the fear that his feelings are unrequited, the joy and excitement of first love, the jealousy he’s not allowed to show, the way his father’s homophobic jokes feels like a knife in his chest; it’s all so well written that you feel it in your stomach. Moa Backe Åstot really managed to show how love is both the most wonderful thing in the world and a curse. I also loved the way she made us understand Ánte’s love for the reindeer herding and the place where he lives and the people around him. It’s very rare for a YA story that the main character wants to stay and doesn’t dream of moving away to become themselves. This also makes the story even more emotional and raw. Ánte’s fear of not being accepted by the others and being forced to leave the life and place he loves, is so understandable and palpable it made my heart race.

​Himlabrand is such a strong, emotional, wonderful, addictive, unique and unforgettable story that I recommend with all my heart! I hope that it will be translated into many other languages soon, to allow more readers to get to know Ánte and read his amazing story.

Rating:
5 stars

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Bokus

​Author info:
Moa Backe Åstot

This book was such a masterpiece! I read it in one sitting, completely addicted! It was such a poignant, heart-warming and beautifully written story exploring the past and the present, relationships and life forming decisions, all spun together into an intricate web.

The story starts in 2001 at the evening of sixteen-year-old Melody’s coming of age ceremony in her grandparents’ Brooklyn brownstone, but from there Jacqueline Woodson takes us both forward and backward in time to uncover the role that history and community have played in the experiences, decisions, and relationships of the present family members.

Each person got to tell their story in a chapter each, which was such a brilliant way to tell the story from different perspectives. It was so impressive how Jacqueline Woodson managed to flesh out all of the characters in just those few pages! She really made them authentic and lovable people with emotions, fear and love, explaining the backgrounds and decisions that made them arrive at this very moment and the tolls they’d paid for it.

Even though it’s quite a short book, there were so many themes and issued covered; from race and class, to identity, love, loss, life and death. It shows how the past keeps continuing to form the present due to family history, but also due to historical events such as the 1921 Tulsa massacres. But the beautiful poetic writing style never made it feel crowded, every word in this book was there for a reason and most of the past events were hinted at rather than lengthy described.

All in all, this coming-of-age, inter-generational black family drama is simply magnificent! A poignantly painted picture of tragedy and hope, heartbreak and joy, and how the decisions we make at a young age can define us forever. I cannot recommend it enough!

Rating:
5 stars

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Jacqueline Woodson

This was such an emotional, completely addictive and swooning enemies-to-lovers story with amazing character growth! And some truly amazing chemistry between the main characters... I read this book in one sitting due to how much I loved it.

On Board is actually the second book in the Painted Bay series, but I had no problem to get right into the story without having read the first book. The books in the series focuses on different persons, and even though the couple from the first book and other side characters played a major part in this story too, it was so well done that it was no problem to follow the story along. Some events from the previous books were also discussed, but everything was explained to keep you clued in to what had happened in the past. I actually really love it when an author creates an own literary universe by weaving stories together the way Jay Hogan has done with this series.

The two main characters of this story are Leroy Madden, who is the brother of Judah from the first book, and Fox Carmody, who is the son of Leroy’s mother’s lover. The very first time Leroy met Fox he felt an overwhelming attraction. Which made no sense at all, since Leroy is straight. Or isn’t he? Struggling with his new confusing feelings, Leroy hid his attraction in irritation and pointless bickering, to keep Fox at a safe distance. But when Fox needed a place to stay after his divorce and Leroy’s mother ignored Leroy’s complaints and invited him to the house, it became impossible for Leroy to keep his true feelings hidden.

I absolutely loved Jay Hogan’s writing style and the amazing love/hate-dynamic between Leroy and Fox. I loved their banter and the humor, and not to mention the burning chemistry… I wasn’t a fan of Leroy at first with his grumpiness and slight homophobia, but he really stole my heart soon enough! It was so adorable the way we got to see him be confused about his sexuality and not knowing how to act on his attraction to Fox, it all felt very real and realistic. The sexy parts were quite explicit, but still very sweet. They really showed how Leroy felt vulnerable from not having any experience from being with other men, but how he allowed himself to open up and trust Fox to explore new things in a safe and respectful way. I also really appreciated how Leroy never was ashamed of his feelings once he understood them, and he how he was proud of who he was with Fox.

My only minor complaints are about Fox’s ex and how he was portraited as purely evil and selfish and how the dog custody fighting was just a little too much drama for my taste. I also had some problems with Leroy’s brother Judah, but that might be because I hadn’t read “his” book and didn’t fully understand his reasons for being so self-centered in the way he reacted to Leroy’s and Fox’s relationship and some other things and persons in the story.

But those minor complaints set aside, this was a truly amazing bi-awakening, slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance with all the feels and character growth. I read it in one sitting, it was so addictive and I rooted so much for all characters that I just couldn’t bear to put it down until the very end! Highly recommended and I can’t wait to continue this series and read more from Jay Hogan!

Thank you to Xpresso Book Tours for the ARC and blog tour invitation for this wonderful book! All opinions are my own and I am leaving my honest review voluntarily.

Rating:
4.5 flaming stars rounding up to 5

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About the author:
Jay Hogan

I absolutely adored this book! Follow the Stars is a sweet, tender and emotional story with a main character on the spectrum who is trying to navigate his way in life after the death of one of his best friends. I loved the extra dimension with the neurodivergent representation, but most of all, I loved it for being such a gripping story about overcoming grief and finding love where you never expect it.

Follow the Stars has such a wonderful main character, Noah, who is on the spectrum. Noah has had two best friends, Rory and Ezra, who has loved him unconditionally and been his support system almost his whole life. But when Rory dies because of her cystic fibrosis, Noah feels completely lost and not being able to put words to his feelings without Rory’s guidance and help to explain the world. When Ezra suggests that he and Noah should fulfill Rory’s biggest dream and go on the road trip that the three of them had planned for years, Noah feels terrified and worries that the connection he has with Ezra will be lost without Rory helping them to communicate. Ezra on the other hand fears he won’t be able to hold back his feelings and will risk losing his other best friend too by letting him know how deep his love really is.
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“If you follow your heart, can you find love as bright as the stars?”

Or will the road trip break the friends apart forever?

Gwen Martin did such an amazing job explaining the way a neurodivergent person experiences the world differently. As she pointed out in the introduction, Noah is just one representation of someone on the spectrum though, so of course there are million other ways to portrait a character with neurodiversity, but it was so well done and with such knowledge that you could really tell that Gwen Martin knew about this first hand and had put a lot of effort into the representation.

I also really loved the slow burn relationship development and how Noah was allowed to experience all these new feelings at his own pace. A part in the middle of the story dragged a little bit and at times I had some issues with the main characters age. They were supposed to be college graduates, but the way the interacted and depended on their parents made them sound more like high schoolers. But those are just minor details!

All in all, this was such a wonderful, gripping and authentic story about the world from a slightly different view and how much you can hurt even if you don’t express your feelings the same way others do. I really loved this heartwarming and hopeful story about overcoming grief and finding love and hope again and about being brave enough to risk losing it all for a chance of happiness.

Thank you to the author Gwen Martin for the opportunity to read this book in advance! I’m so happy it’s now out in the world for everyone to read!

Rating:
4.5 shining stars rounding up to 5

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​Author info:
Gwen Martin