Even though it hasn’t felt like it, March has been a good reading month. Surprisingly this being both the number of books read and the quality of them. There weren’t any glaringly bad books and I’m the happier for it. I’ve had quite a few not so great reads already this year, so I really hope that is behind me, at least for a couple of months.
Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
Read: 29/2/24 – 9/3/24
*I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
My first read of the month was a mystery thriller and it was pretty good. It did feel like I was walking through molasses at one point though. The number of pages wasn’t correct on Goodreads, so I thought this was much shorter than it was. Once I got over this, and over halfway, the book picked up and it was a very decent read.
ARC Review: Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
Synopsis: It’s like I keep stumbling into a dark room, searching for the switch to make things bright again. To make me remember. But the switch isn’t there. Was it there before?
Sade Hussein is starting her third year of high school, this time at the prestigious Alfred Nobel Academy boarding school. After being home-schooled all her life and feeling like a magnet for misfortune, she’s not sure what will happen. What she doesn’t expect though is for her roommate Elizabeth to disappear after Sade’s first night. Or for people to think she had something to do with it.
With rumors swirling around her, Sade catches the attention of the most popular girls in school – collectively known as the ‘Unholy Trinity’ – and they bring her into their fold. Between learning more about them – especially Persephone, who Sade finds herself drawn to – playing catch-up in class, and trying to figure out what happened to Elizabeth, Sade has a lot on her plate. It doesn’t help that she’s already dealing with grief from the many tragedies in her family.
And then a student is found dead.
The more Sade investigates, the more she realizes there’s more to Alfred Nobel Academy and its students than she realized. Secrets lurk around every corner and beneath every surface…secrets that rival even her own.
Dead Girls Walking by Sami Ellis
Read: 9/3/24 – 13/3/24
*I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
Oh look, another thriller. They are 100% one of my favourite genres now and I really can’t get enough of them.
Dead Girls Walking was a fairly speedy read and the horror elements were done very well. This book does come with a huge list of content warnings though, so please make sure to read those before you get started. It is not a light read.
ARC Review: Dead Girls Walking by Sami Ellis
Synopsis: Temple Baker knows that evil runs in her blood. Her father is the North Point Killer, an infamous serial killer known for how he marked each of his victims with a brand. He was convicted for murdering 20 people and was the talk of countless true crime blogs for years. Some say he was possessed by a demon. Some say that they never found all his victims. Some say that even though he’s now behind bars, people are still dying in the woods. Despite everything though, Temple never believed that her dad killed her mom. But when he confesses to that crime while on death row, she has no choice but to return to his old hunting grounds to try see if she can find a body and prove it.
Turns out, the farm that was once her father’s hunting grounds and her home has been turned into an overnight camp for queer, horror-obsessed girls. So Temple poses as a camp counselor to go digging in the woods. While she’s not used to hanging out with girls her own age and feels ambivalent at best about these true crime enthusiasts, she tries her best to fit in and keep her true identity hidden.
But when a girl turns up dead in the woods, she fears that one of her father’s “fans” might be mimicking his crimes. As Temple tries to uncover the truth and keep the campers safe, she comes to realize that there may be something stranger and more sinister at work—and that her father may not have been the only monster in these woods.
Dear Jade by Danielle Keil
Read: 14/3/24
This series of standalones is so cute and I’ve really enjoyed them all so far. I’d say Dear Jade has been my second favourite so far and I plan to continue reading the series when I next have Kindle Unlimited.
Book Review: Dear Jade by Danielle Keil
Synopsis: Everyone at Ryder High knows what it means to have a teal envelope taped to their locker on the first day of the month. Jade Rose knows. She just doesn’t care. The Secret Admirer’s game goes against every feminist notion she stands for. It’s old fashioned, misogynistic, and too mainstream for her. That is, until she gets a teal envelope. And finds out that she and her secret admirer have a few things in common already. Her acceptance may have been accidental, but when the clues start coming in the form of movies to watch, she gets sucked in quick. Will Jade and her friends be able to narrow down their list of suspects and figure out who is behind the camera?
Heartstopper: Volume One by Alice Oseman
Read: 16/3/24
I wouldn’t be me without my annual re-read of Heartstopper. However, this time I’m uploading reviews for them. It feels wrong that I don’t have reviews of some of my favourite books on here, so I’m (slowly) working to rectify that.
You all know how much I love Heartstopper by now and that love isn’t going anywhere. This is my third read of the series now and I still love it just as much, if not more.
Re-Read Review: Heartstopper Volume One by Alice Oseman
Synopsis: Charlie and Nick are at the same school, but they’ve never met … until one day when they’re made to sit together. They quickly become friends, and soon Charlie is falling hard for Nick, even though he doesn’t think he has a chance.
But love works in surprising ways, and Nick is more interested in Charlie than either of them realised.
Combustible Magic by Iris Beaglehole
Read: 15/3/24 – 17/3/24
This is another series I am thoroughly enjoying. I’ve actually just finished the next book at the time of writing this post. I managed to squeeze it in before my Kindle Unlimited ran out.
If you love a cosy mystery with tons of magic, the Mrytlewood series is for you.
Book Review: Combustible Magic by Iris Beaglehole
Synopsis: As the festival of Beltane draws near, mysterious fires are springing up around the magical village of Myrtlewood, and Rosemary Thorn can’t help but try to solve the case.
Rosemary already has too much on her plate with a hoard of foundling children to house and her own teenager to raise. On top of all this, she has run out of excuses. There’s nothing standing between Rosemary and her dream of becoming a magical chocolatier. Well, nothing except her own self-sabotage.
Meanwhile, Athena Thorn is yearning for the fae realm and harbouring a secret that could put the whole town at risk, and the last thing she wants to do is tell her mother!
Fake It ’til You Make It by Laura Carter
Read: 17/3/24 – 18/3/24
*I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
This was my last ARC for a while and it was a good one to end on. I love a fake dating book and this one was faking it all over the place – not just the dating. It’s a huge will-they-won’t-they and again, not just the dating. There’s a lot going on but it is a fun and sweet read.
ARC Review: Fake It ’til You Make It by Laura Carter
Synopsis: Can a fake date fix everything? On a day Abbey thought would be the best of her life – her boyfriend is surely going to propose tonight, right? – it all falls he tells her he’s met someone else. And then to make things worse, she loses her job.
In an act of reimagination, she splurges her wedding savings on renting an apartment in a building she’s always dreamed of living in and kits out her wardrobe to match.
But when her family invites her ex – a close family friend – plus a date(!!) to her parents’ vow renewal, Abbey realizes her façade won’t be enough. There’s nothing for it but to fake one more thing – a romance. And she knows exactly who to ask… her hot new neighbor…
Spell Bound by Gretchen Rue
Read: 18/3/24 – 23/3/24
I’m really not vibing with this series after finishing this instalment. I thought the first book had a lot of potential but it hasn’t lived up to it yet. There was little to no magic and the main character doesn’t do herself any favours.
I may be willing to give the third book a try but I would need some guarantee of magic being explored more. I don’t know how you can call a book Spell Bound and have no spells in it.
Book Review: Spell Bound by Gretchen Rue
Synopsis: Since moving to Raven Creek, Phoebe Winchester has had a lot on her plate.
She’s renovating the Victorian manor she inherited from her Aunt Eudora, running a tea shop (and secret magical apothecary), and learning to be a witch. But when she discovers a dead body at an estate sale, and suspicion falls on her, even Phoebe wonders if this is simply too much.
Forced to take action to clear her name, Phoebe enlists Rich Lofting, handsome private detective and childhood friend, to assist with her investigation, all while sorting out her unresolved feelings for him.
Is there something more sinister lurking in the shadows of this small tight-knit town? And does Phoebe really want to find out?
Mountains Made of Glass by Scarlett St. Clair
Read: 24/3/24
This was a super quick read that got very hot and heavy. It’s a fairytale retelling (a favourite genre/trope of mine) and it’s a great read. I didn’t know what to expect going in but there was actually a lot more depth to this than I thought there would be. It’s only just over 200 pages but it did feel like enough, I’m glad the story wasn’t dragged out any longer as it would have ruined the experience.
Synopsis: “Could you love me?” he whispered. The question stole my breath and burned my lungs in the silence that followed.
I wanted to answer, to whisper yes into the space between us, but I was afraid.
All Gesela’s life, her home village of Elk has been cursed. And it isn’t a single curse—it is one after another, each to be broken by a villager, each with devastating consequences. When Elk’s well goes dry, it is Gesela’s turn to save her town by killing the toad that lives at the bottom. Except… the toad is not a toad at all. He is an Elven prince under a curse of his own, and upon his death, his brothers come for Gesela, seeking retribution.
As punishment, the princes banish Gesela to live with their seventh brother, the one they call the beast. Gesela expects to be the prisoner of a hideous monster, but the beast turns out to be exquisitely beautiful, and rather than lock her in a cell, he offers Gesela a deal. If she can guess his true name in seven days, she can go free.
Gesela agrees, but there is a hidden catch—she must speak his name with love in order to free him, too.
But can either of them learn to love in time?
Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard
Read: 25/3/24 – 26/3/24
I’m being very lazy as I don’t have a photo of this book yet, but I will when it comes to posting my full review. I’ve been on annual leave for the past 10 days so I’ve taken a break from all types of work.
This was an impulse read. I’ve never been interested in the books but it popped up on Kindle Unlimited so I gave it a go.
I won’t spoil anything here as I’ll be posting my review later this month, but let’s just say this book shows it age and I definitely prefer the TV series.
Synopsis: EVERYONE HAS SOMETHING TO HIDE – ESPECIALLY HIGH SCHOOL JUNIORS SPENCER, ARIA, EMILY, AND HANNA
Spencer covets her sister’s boyfriend. Aria’s fantasizing about her English teacher. Emily’s crushing on the new girl at school. Hanna uses some ugly tricks to stay beautiful. But they’ve all kept an even bigger secret since their friend Alison vanished.
How do I know? Because I know everything about the bad girls they were, the naughty girls they are, and the dirty secrets they’ve kept. And guess what? I’m telling.
All Downhill With You by Julie Olivia
Read: 26/3/24 – 29/3/24
I loved the idea of a romance novel set at a theme park and I wasn’t disappointed. I’m yet to write my review so I’m not entirely sure where I stand with this yet, but it was a good read and I plan to continue the series at some point.
Synopsis: The moment we meet, it’s all downhill.
My job is providing happiness and smiles at Honeywood Fun Park, and Emory Dawson is the frown our park didn’t ask for.
When our star roller coaster malfunctions with me on board, the manufacturer’s heir and lead engineer, Emory, vows to renovate the attraction. So instead of having a fun summer season as Marketing Manager for Honeywood, I’m now saddled with playing host.
Wonderful.
Emory is the opposite of a good time. He’s the grump that won’t stop grumping, and our arguments escalate quicker than my heart rate after a roller coaster’s fall.
He knows I can see right through his broody gaze and big ideas. Repairing the coaster? More like overhauling his own company’s reputation, regardless of whether it helps our local theme park.
But when our firm handshakes start lingering too long, or when his muscled thighs rest against mine under the table, I’m thrown for a loop.
Most roller coasters are fun, but I’d like to get off this emotional one, please.
Bound by Twilight by Megan Charlie
Read: 29/3/24 – 31/3/24
I just managed to squeeze one extra book into the month. I really thought this would take me no time at all as it’s only 145 pages but it felt so much longer. I was quite possibly in a bit of a slump as I’d been chain-reading books like no tomorrow. However, this was a decent read.
Synopsis: Scale the giant beanstalk, retrieve the treasure, return home. Simple, right?
Life for Twila, while not easy, had been fairly straightforward. Take care of her mother, tend the farm, placate her lazy and demanding “brother”, Jack. When an opportunity to change their fortunes comes knocking, she leaps at the chance. Or climbs it.
But nothing follows her expectations when Twila finds herself in a magical realm above the clouds populated by fae. Still, finding unguarded wealth in this kingdom overflowing with jewels and precious metal shouldn’t be too hard. Guarding her heart against the handsome self-appointed guide who may be the key to unlocking her past is the real test.
Twila thought her heart desired riches that could help her mother, but when answers about who she is and where she came from start coming to light, she’s torn. Time is ticking down and she must choose. Stay and risk her heart? Or return to the safety of her old life?
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