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[wlwbookshelf]

IRIS KELLY DOESN'T DATE - ASHLEY HERRING BLAKE Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ashley Herring Blake has written another sapphic romance that I was barely able to out down until it was finished. Iris and Stevie are incredibly cute. The book is really successful take on fake dating that actually seems like a plausible reason two people could fake date! 

I loved seeing Bright Falls one last time, although I do wish there was two epilogues one for the Iris/Stevie and one for the whole cast! 

Based on this trilogy, any sapphic story Ashley Herring Blake writes will be an auto-buy for me. 

Many thanks to Berkley Publishing Group for an eARC via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. Iris Kelly is released tpday (Oct 24th) in the US!

[wlwbookshelf]

GIRLS LIKE GIRLS - HAYLEY KIYOKO Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐⭐️

Girls Like Girls was a nostalgic read. Teenage Coley grew up in the same era of AIM Messenger and LiveJournal that I did. Hayley Kiyoko’s literary debut has prose that mirrors the lyricism of her music, and the occasional nods to her song lyrics were a fun touch.

That said, this is a heavy book. This is not a romance story. It’s a coming-of-age story with romance.I didn’t realize that until I was done with the book, and while reading it, the pacing felt off for a romance. However, I felt like some arcs needed more for a coming-of-age novel.

Overall I enjoyed it and rated it four stars. I recommend checking content warnings. This book could be a tricky read for some. I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[wlwbookshelf]

THE BATTLE DRUM - SAARA EL-ARIFI Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐⭐️⭐

Saara El-Arifi, I hate you a little bit. Writing a book that is so good and ending it like that. Now I must wait so long to find out what happens next, and I’m in pain.

In all seriousness, The Battle Drum (the second book of The Ending Fire Trilogy) was so riveting and so painful. Anoor, Sylah, and Hassa, my beloveds are all back, and all the POV characters included in this book were so enlightening. Without spoilers, this book had so many revelations and new mysteries. Saara does such an amazing job with worldbuilding. Like The Final Strife, this was a five-star read for me. A very satisfying middle book in a trilogy.  Thank you to Random House for the eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[layaart]

some doodles of mephi while listening to The Bone Shard Emperor! he can do no wrong

[vampmilf]

speaking from a place of privilege (has never read homestuck)

[wlwbookshelf]

Best YA Book of 2022 Voting!

A Million to One - Adiba Jaigirdar

A Scatter of Light - Malinda Lo

Burn Down, Rise Up - Vincent Tirado

Flip the Script - Lyla Lee

Home Field Advantage - Dahlia Adler

How to Succeed in Witchcraft - Aislinn Brophy

I Kissed Shara Wheeler - Casey McQuiston

Ophelia After All - Racquel Marie

She Gets the Girl - Rachael Lippincott & Alyson Derrick

The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School - Sonora Reyes

Voting ended onFeb 22, 2023

Voting is open for a week, and this is the separate poll for adult books.

Only 10 options can appear in a poll, so a pre-selection has been done based on activity on posts.

[wlwbookshelf]

Best Adult Book of 2022 Voting!

Count Your Lucky Stars - Alexandria Bellefleur

Delilah Green Doesn’t Care - Ashley Herring Blake

The Final Strife - Saara El-Arifi

D'Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding - Chencia C. Higgins

House of Hunger - Alexis Henderson

Nona The Ninth - Tamsyn Muir

Even Though I Knew The End - C.L Polk

The Oleander Sword - Tasha Suri

Siren Queen - Nghi Vo

Mistakes Were Made - Meryl Wilsner

Voting ended onFeb 26, 2023

Voting is open for a week, and there will be a separate poll for YA books.

Only 10 options can appear in a poll, so a pre-selection has been done based on activity on posts.

[priory]

BACK IN A SPELL - LANA HARPER Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Back in A Spell by Lana Harper is a fun addition to the Thistle Grove series. It's a charming, sexy story that plays on the soul mate trope. It’s always delightful to revisit Thistle Grove, especially discovering more about the Blackmoores through Nineve and the town lore. The wlnb romance is refreshing, and I appreciated how Morty’s gender was portrayed in the book. I found this a delightful and heartwarming read that offered a much-needed escape from reality. Many thanks to Berkley Publishing Group for an eARC via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

[wlwbookshelf]

BOOK ROUND-UP: 2023 SEQUELS It’s never a bad time to revisit a beloved world! Anticipated sequels (or prequels) we are looking forward to in 2023 include:

The Shadow Cabinet by Juno Dawson (Book 2, Her Majesty’s Royal Coven)

A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon (Book 0, Roots of Chaos)

Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date by Ashley Herring Blake (Book 3, Bright Falls)

The Severed Thread by Leslie Vedder (Book 2, The Bone Spindle)

The Faithless by C.L. Clark (Book 2, The Magic of the Lost)

The Battle Drum by Saara El-Arifi (Book 2, Ending Fire)

Books without a cover image released yet that are also anticipated 2023 sequels are:

Alecto the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (Book 4, The Locked Tomb)

In Charm’s Way by Lana Harper (Book 4, The Witches of Thistle Grove)

He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker-Chan (Book 2, The Radiant Emperor)

It’s not too late to get into any of the series yet. Just in time for the next book!

[ajmichalka]

books read in 2021 - [11/?] Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers ↳ It’s okay to admit that something can be best just because it makes you happy, and not because you had to tear yourself apart to get there.

[priory]

tbr pile prompt 1/30 - a book from an author you’ve never read before The Honjin Murders, Seishi Yokomizo (3.75/5)

[priory]

passed 30k in nanowrimo. just shouting into the void about it because i did not think i would come close to that

[theriverbeyond]

oh to be camilla hect's pussy knife,

[priory]

NEVER EVER GETTING BACK TOGETHER - SOPHIE GONZALES Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐ As a queer person who watches the Bachelor franchise shows I feel like on some level this was written for me. Never Ever Getting Back Together does amazing in mixing together what makes shows like the bachelor compelling with a wlw romance.  I was worried going in that the story would be too male centred for my own reading preferences however early on it becomes clear that is not the case here. The main characters are likeable and getting both POVs was helpful to the plot. The romance was cute and fit this narrative well. It had a very new adult/young adult feeling and was breezy fun read. I finished it quickly, I think the plot following the reality show format made it easier to devour in one sitting. I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[sshannonauthor]

Designed by David Mann and illustrated by Ivan Belikov.

Night falls on 28 February 2023. Pre-order links here.

[priory]

KISS HER ONCE FOR ME - ALISON COCHRUN Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐ Kiss Her Once for Me has exactly the feel and tone of a ridiculous, loveable 90s rom com that you want to watch annually after seeing it the first time! I am already thinking about re-reading it these holidays. This is the first Alison Cochrun book I’ve read, and I would be interested in going back and reading her first book now, as well as future work! I enjoyed the plot device of the flashbacks, the romance of the snow day in Portland contrasting with Ellie being in over her head with the present-day timeline helped to ease the tension. The concept of falling in love over the course of a single special day tracks for me, romance in queer time works differently. The family dynamics in this book could, at times, be quite heavy so if that is a sensitive area, I would recommend finding TWs for this book before reading. I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[priory]

ASTRID PARKER DOESN'T FAIL - ASHLEY HERRING BLAKE Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐ I loved Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail just as much (maybe more, I keep going back and forth) as Delilah Green Doesn’t Care. The cast from Bright Falls returns, this time adding the Jordan and Everwood family as new characters. Although this could be read as a standalone, having the familiar characters return from book one is so great. It’s nice to get updates from beloved characters and the scene is set for what will be in store for Iris’ book. The dedication, ‘For everyone who figured it out a little later in life’, had me tearing up and really set the tone for the way Astrid’s arc was handled. I enjoyed watching Astrid grow as a character and loved the way her coming to terms with her new attraction was handled. Astrid and Jordan’s relationship is a delightful rollercoaster of tension. I think Jordan’s characterization was great, and I felt like I was falling for her alongside Astrid. For a romance book I’d consider it a slower burn but worth the wait! Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for sending me the eARC for review consideration, however all opinions are my own.