The Christmas Orphans Club Review

October 20, 2023October 19, 2023 fangirlfuryLeave a comment

Summary (from the publisher): Hannah and Finn have spent every Christmas together 91Z4-PPD1QL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_

since college. Neither has anywhere else to go—Hannah’s parents died, and Finn’s disowned him when he came out. Their tradition of offbeat holiday adventures only grows more outrageous with time. When the pair starts their adult lives in New York City, they add stylish Priya and mysterious Theo to the group, solidifying a found family and sense of belonging they’ve always craved.

But now, when Finn announces a move to L.A., this Christmas may be their last. Hannah is terrified of losing the family she’s built for herself, even as her boyfriend nudges her toward commitment. Meanwhile, Finn struggles with the things he’s about to leave behind—namely, his unexpressed feelings for Theo. Does growing up mean growing apart? This Christmas the changes these friends fear may be exactly what they need. . . .

My Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

My Thoughts:

Many of you know that I am a huge Bad on Paper podcast listener, a book-inspired podcast hosted by Becca Freeman and Olivia Muenter. While Olivia leans more towards thriller and literary books, Becca has much more of my reading taste when it comes to contemporary and romance books. Like many listeners, I was beyond excited when Becca announced and has now released her debut novel, The Christmas Orphans Club.

The Christmas Orphans Club is a dual perspective, contemporary fiction read following college best friends Hannah and Finn, whose family circumstances have led them to celebrate each Christmas together since their college days, with wild traditions and adventures in store. Friends Theo and Priya join in on the festivities as time goes on. However, after recently getting over a big bump in their friendship, the group may just be celebrating their last Christmas together because Finn has just scored a dream TV job on California. Despite some lingering tension between her and Finn, as well as some conflict with her partner, David, Hannah is determined to give her best friend, Priya, and Theo their best Christmas yet.

A British Girl’s Guide to Hurricanes & Heartbreaks Review

October 16, 2023October 14, 2023 fangirlfuryLeave a comment

Summary (from the publisher):
Winchester, England, has always been home for Flora, but when her mother dies after a long illness, Flora feels untethered. Her family expects her to apply to university and take a larger role in their tea-shop business, but Flora isn’t so sure. More than ever, she’s the chaotic “hurricane” in her household, and she doesn’t always know how to manage her stormy emotions.

So she decides to escape to Miami without telling anyone—especially her longtime friend Gordon Wallace.

But Flora’s tropical change of scenery doesn’t cast away her self-doubt. When it comes to university, she has no idea which passions she should follow. That’s also true in romance. Flora’s summer abroad lands her in the flashbulb world of teen influencer Baz Marín, a Miami Cuban who shares her love for photography. But Flora’s more conflicted than ever when she begins to see future architect Gordon in a new light.

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

My Thoughts:

I was introduced to Laura Taylor Namey in 2019 with her debut, The Library of Lost Things, a cute YA contemporary for readers who love to read books about books, and THEN loved, loved A Cuban Girl Guide to Tea & Tomorrow in 2020. I knew then that I needed to read her 2023 release, A British Girl’s Guide to Hurricanes & Heartbreaks, a companion Girl’s Guide book.

A British Girl’s Guide to Hurricanes & Heartbreaks follows one of the characters from A Cuban Girl Guide to Tea & Tomorrow, Flora. Flora is the sister of the male romantic interest from A Cuban Girl’s Guide. Like A Cuban Girl’s Guide, A British Girl’s Guide to Hurricanes & Heartbreaks deals with the aftermath of the loss of a loved one, as Flora’s mother has recently passed away. Flora is struggling with her anger. She keeps pushing her longtime best friend, Gordon, away, even when Gordon shows some more than friends feelings for her. When she reveals a devastating secret to her family, she runs away from the family tea business in England to Miami. If you’ve read A Cuban Girl’s Guide, Flora stays with Lila’s family and helps Lila’s sister, Pilar, prepare for her wedding. When Pilar’s photographer falls through, Flora is able to secure the son of Miami’s top wedding photographer, Baz, in exchange for a fake dating relationship…making things even more complicated as she juggles her potential feelings for her best friend, repairing her relationships with her family, and figuring out her future.

5 STAR YA: Woke Up Like This Review

October 4, 2023September 30, 2023 fangirlfury1 Comment

Summary (from the publisher): Planning the perfect prom is one last “to do” on ultra-organized Charlotte Wu’s high school bucket list. So far, so good, if not for a decorating accident that sends Charlotte crash-landing off a ladder, face-first into her obnoxiously ripped archnemesis J. T. Renner. Worse? When Charlotte wakes up, she finds herself in an unfamiliar bed at thirty years old, with her bearded fiancé, Renner, by her side.

Either they’ve lost their minds or they’ve been drop-kicked into adulthood, forever trapped in the thirty-year-old bodies of their future selves. With each other as their only constant, Charlotte and Renner discover all that’s changed in the time they’ve missed. Charlotte also learns there’s more to Renner than irritating-jock charm, and that reaching the next milestone isn’t as important as what happens in between.

Navigating a series of adventures and a confounding new normal, Charlotte and Renner will do whatever it takes to find a way back to seventeen. But when―and if―they do, what then?

My Rating: 5/5 Stars

My Thoughts:

Many books have received Never Have I Ever comparisons for the smash Netflix show’s enemies/academic rivals-to-lovers romance, but few books really do live up to the comparison. However, Amy Lea’s YA debut, Woke Up Like This, lives up to this comparison – and it’s not just because the book is published under Never Have I Ever creator Mindy Kaling’s imprint with Amazon Books.

September 2023 Wrap Up

October 2, 2023October 1, 2023 fangirlfuryLeave a comment

What a crazy month! September was such a busy month for me between plans with friends and family and the return to school. I’m actually surprised I managed to read 8 books this month. Most of my reading has been done on weekends – I did read a certain memoir from a former reality TV star in less than 48 hours though in the midst of an exhausting week, so who knows!

I talked about most of these books in a September reading update. The only two that I added to my read list since was Lucy Score’s 500+ page beast, Things We Left Behind, and Jill Dillard’s memoir, Counting the Cost. These are two of my favorite reads of the month too! I loved Lucy Score’s finale to the Knockemout series. We all obviously would love another book in this series or two, but I love the epilogues Lucy Score includes in each installment, and there’s not really another couple I feel like we need to focus on. Counting the Cost was such an insightful look on what was going on behind-the-scenes from Jill’s perspective on 19 Kids and Counting, and answered a lot of media speculation surround Jill’s “disappearance” from the show and her family.