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Happy Place by Emily Henry

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  Happy Place by Emily Henry   Romance I may have only read seven books this year so far, but I can confidently say that I am glad that Happy Place was one of those seven. Not only was this one of my favorite books I have read in a while, but it was also the most perfect refreshing book of the summer.  Emily Henry uses a common thread throughout her stories. Those threads are connected by time, time jumps, memories, etc. This story takes place between the now and the past of the protagonist, Harriet’s, summers in Knott’s Harbor, Maine. She and her five other friends travel back to Maine for a long-awaited reunion, but not all is right. Harriet, aka Harry, has recently split up with her ex-fiance, Wynn, and they haven’t told their friends yet. This story is heart-wrenching and heartwarming as it navigates the truth about change through growth, and how some secrets are better left unsaid. And the summer vibes are all there. From those sea breeze winds to small-town shopping routes, this
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Bride by Ali Hazelwood

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  Bride by Ali Hazelwood Paranormal Romance  I can say with certainty that this was one of my most anticipated books of the past year, mainly because it was another incredibly crafted romance by Ali Hazelwood. This novel was her first paranormal romance as it dealt with vampires (my favorite) and werewolves. And let me just say the primal instinct shit is no joke. The past of these two groups and their current status could be further discovered, but the baseline was there enough to push this story along.  Not only was this a forced proximity, forced marriage to reunite the two groups, but it was also a heartwarming story as it involved kids. I loved Misary from the start, and not to mention her name sounds pretty dope. Despite Misery, a vampire, and Lowe, a wolf, wanting nothing to do with each other at the beginning of the book the ending was quite worth the wait. Also, may I add knotting? I’ll just leave that there. I also enjoyed the hint of mystery throughout the novel with the pea
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The Book Talk's Take on Booktok

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  The Book Talk's Take on Booktok  Ruby D Most of the world recalls the year 2020 as the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, the addition of the many popular Netflix shows, live-action Hamilton on Disney Plus streaming services, and the small but famously foreshadowed hashtag called “booktok.” It’s hard to gauge exactly how this all started, but it is quite evident that ooktok is going to be around for a while.  booktok is now a booming community on the Tiktok app where readers, authors, and general book lovers have come together to share their common passion for literature. Like any niche on Tiktok, there are different sides to booktok, which makes it all the more lovable and accessible to hundreds of different kinds of readers. There is also quite a range of content posted, like book recommendations, sharing one’s favorite quotes, or simple bookshelf tours. Some of my favorite booktok content creators are @rlybookshelf, @authortessabailey, and @.bookobsessed. I have been on bookt
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Educated by Tara Westover

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Memoir, nonfiction    There wasn’t a doubt about which book I was going to read for my required summer reading. After having been to about 37 states in the United States, Idaho being one of them, my mom encouraged me to read it without a second guess. She listened to the audio version while I read, and now I will go into grave detail about how intense this story was. For those of you who don’t know the synopsis, this story follows the life of Tara Westover and how she grew up in Bucks Peak, Idaho without stepping foot into a school before she went to college. It is an inspiring, deep, and twisted story that I can say with certainty, has struck me like no other book has.  Tara never had a birth certificate until she was nine years old, until then she legally did not exist. She and her six siblings were taught how to live and strive when the world would end by their God-believing father. By the end of the story, Tara has earned her Ph.D., completed a fellowship at Harvard, graduated from
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The True Lover Experiment by Christina Lauren

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The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren Romance, fiction I am not going to lie on this blog, so when I say that I was incredibly grateful and surprised that Christina Lauren was creating a spin-off story in the continuance of Fizzy and Jess’ friendship, I squealed. I think I will always hold Jess and River number one in my heart, but Fizzy and Conner are a close second. This book is what I would call short and sweet, just include the entire recording of a reality dating show. Ok, but the outstanding ending to this book still has me smiling–anyways back to the non-spoilers review! This story had the social aspect that The Solmate Equation also had, but this novel was definitely more comedic and giddy-worthy. Although I loved the little moments when I got to see how Jess and River were doing, because it never gets old when Fizzy scares River. Not to mention the little allusions to Twilight and other things that I absolutely love made this story just that much better. I also really l
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A Thousand Heartbeats by Kiera Cass

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  A Thousand Heartbeats   by Kiera Cass  YA, fiction Two future rulers from opposing groups. Princess Annika and Lennox. Long lost loves who must fight their future paths while continuing to act as leaders. Miles apart, yet the sound of their thousand heartbeats guides them back to each other. If it's the same author from the Selection series, you know that it is going to be pretty freaking good. I do have to say, I give out five-star reads easily, but this book still earned its way to a solid five stars. Despite the fact that this book was 561 pages long, I was so enrolled that I finished it within like two days. I absolutely loved the strong female role of Annika and how she was way stronger and tougher than her stupid forced fiance. And Lennox on the other hand seemed like he was going to make an incredibly thoughtful leader. Okay, but when they met for the second time, and they figured out they were long loves, I completely lost it. It was so cute!! I also loved Noemi and Prin
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All This Time by Mikki Daughtry and Rachel Lippincott

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All This Time by Mikki Daughtry and Rachel Lippincott  YA fiction  Kyle thought that he had everything. A perfect girlfriend, Kimberly, plans for college, and a high-ride football lifestyle. That was until Kimberly reveals a hidden secret and a fatal crash leaves Kimberly dead, and Kyle having to redirect his entire life. Then Marley comes around. She is suffering from her own loss and doesn't think anyone can hear her except for Kyle. Their lives intertwine, and their true feelings help each other heal their pasts. Two broken hearts, a beautiful love story, and a twist of magic.  I had a feeling that this book was going to be epic because I went through a whole Five Feet Apart phase after reading that book from these same two authors, but I was still surprised by how good this book ended up being. This was defiantly my first five-star read of the year! There were many twists and magical aspects that I didn't expect, but they really added to the storyline and plot. I mean, let
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