Month: November 2021

Book Review and Blog Tour:  You Can Go Your Own Way, by Eric Smith

Image belongs to Inkyard Press.

Title:   You Can Go Your Own Way
Author:   Eric Smith
Genre:   YA
Rating:  4 out of 5

No one ever said love would be easy…but did they mention it would be freezing? 

Adam Stillwater is in over his head. At least, that’s what his best friend would say. And his mom. And the guy who runs the hardware store down the street. But this pinball arcade is the only piece of his dad that Adam has left, and he’s determined to protect it from Philadelphia’s newest tech mogul, who wants to turn it into another one of his cold, lifeless gaming cafés.

 Whitney Mitchell doesn’t know how she got here. Her parents split up. She lost all her friends. Her boyfriend dumped her. And now she’s spending her senior year running social media for her dad’s chain of super successful gaming cafés—which mostly consists of trading insults with that decrepit old pinball arcade across town.

 But when a huge snowstorm hits, Adam and Whitney suddenly find themselves trapped inside the arcade. Cut off from their families, their worlds, and their responsibilities, the tension between them seems to melt away, leaving something else in its place. But what happens when the storm stops?

I know basically nothing about pinball games, but this was a fun read. I loved the banter between him and Whitney. Whitney….the people in her life kind of suck (except her mom). Seeing her realize that and change what she could was a positive journey. This was a really solid read, perfect for a lazy weekend afternoon.

Eric Smith lives in Philadelphia. You Can Go Your Own Way is his newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Inkyard Press in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: I Am Margaret Moore, by Hannah Capin

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title:   I Am Margaret Moore
Author:  Hannah Capin
Genre:   YA
Rating:  3.0 out of 5

I am a girl. I am a monster, too. 

Each summer the girls of Deck Five come back to Marshall Naval School. They sail on jewel-blue waters; they march on green drill-fields; they earn sunburns and honors. They push until they break apart and heal again, stronger.

 Each summer Margaret and Rose and Flor and Nisreen come back to the place where they are girls, safe away from the world: sisters bound by something more than blood.

 But this summer everything has changed. Girls are missing and a boy is dead. It’s because of Margaret Moore, the boys say. It’s because of what happened that night in the storm.

 Margaret’s friends vanish one by one, swallowed up into the lies she has told about what happened between her and a boy with the world at his feet. Can she unravel the secrets of this summer and last, or will she be pulled under by the place she once called home?

This book just didn’t work for me. I found it very disjointed and confusing. I figured out the twist—if you can call it that—pretty early on, but that didn’t make the confusion any less chaotic. I also wish I’d known when the girls were at the school, as that might have made it slightly less confusing.

Hannah Capin lives in Virginia. I Am Margaret Moore, is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

The Best Books I Read in October (2021)

In October I read 15 books, bringing my total to the year to 195 books. I’m not sure I’m going to hit my goal of 250 books for the year….But four of those reads were really excellent:

Winterlight, by Kristen Britain. I love this series! The characters are vibrant, the world is so vivid and brimming with life, and the storyline always has me on the edge of my seat.

The Rot, by Siri Pettersen. This is the second book in a trilogy, and from the very first page of the first book, I was riveted. This feels very much like Norse mythology and I’m completely invested in the story and can’t wait until the third one comes out.

Little Thieves, by Margaret Owen. This started off a bit slow, but I’m so glad I stuck it out. Unique and captivating.

Three Sisters, by Heather Morris. This is the third book in The Tattoist of Auschwitz books (I haven’t read the others. This was so moving, sad, and yet full of hope. This family is incredible.

What I Read in October (2021)

Books Read in October: 15
Books Read for the Year:  195/250
Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:

Just Because:
Winterlight, by Kristen Britain (TBR). I really love this series! This was as excellent as the other books, and with the twist at the end, I can’t wait to read the next one.

Parable of the Sower, by Octavia E. Butler. I listened to this as an audio book, and enjoyed it far more than I expected to.

For Review:


The Rot, by Siri Pettersen. Can we talk about how amazing this book is? I adored the first book in the series, Odin’s Child, and this follow-up did not disappoint! Cannot wait for the third.

Luminous, by Mara Rutherford. I enjoyed Rutherford’s previous duology, but this one felt much less…polished. It was a decent read, but I wasn’t riveted.

The Keeper of Night, by Kylie Lee Baker. The MC here was…difficult. Unlikable. Selfish. The writing was excellent, the premise was unique, the characters…meh.

Little Thieves, by Margaret Owen. This started off very slowly, and I wanted desperately to put it down, but I’m a fan of Owen’s other works, so I persevered—and this ended up being a fantastic read!

Lies My Memory Told Me, by Sacha Wunsch. This was just a meh read for me. I strongly disliked the ending, and the MC was a little bit…passive, maybe? The other characters felt like cardboard cutouts.

I Am Not Who You Think I Am, by Eric Rickstad. I really didn’t care for the MC in this one. He was way too prone to jumping to conclusions, and he was oblivious to what anyone else wanted.

Sankofa, by Chibundu Onuzo. This was way better than I expected, although the MC still has some growing to do. Her father was awful, though.

Three Sisters, by Heather Morris. I haven’t’ read The Tattoist of Auschwitz, but this was a phenomenal read!

Finding a Christmas Home, by Lee Tobin McClain. This was a decent romance read. Quick, easy, standard romance fair.

A Cowgirl’s Secret, by Melinda Curtis. This wasn’t a standout romantic read, but it delivered on its promises.

The Alchemy Thief, by R.A Denny. This was an interesting time travel/historical read. I enjoyed reading the bits about alchemy especially.

I Am Margaret Moore, by Hannah Capin (review forthcoming). I’m not sure what to say about this. I figured out the twist pretty early on, but I didn’t care for the confusion that made the book very hard to connect with.

You Can Go Your Own Way, by Eric Smith (review forthcoming). I don’t know a thing about pinball machines or Philly, but I really enjoyed this read. Whitney and Adam were great—and relatable—characters, and I loved their journey. And the plants.

Left Unfinished:

The Mother Next Door, by Tara Laskowski. This was just a case of the book not being a good fit for me right now. I read about 20% of it before I stopped reading, and the writing was strong, the characters realistic. I just didn’t like the characters. I thought they were petty, vapid, and superficial, and I didn’t care about them in the slightest—or their secrets.

The House of Dust, by Noah Broyles. I read about 25% of this, but the point-of-view and the characters were too distant and disjointed to feel any connection to.

Five Strangers, by E.V. Adamson. I tried. I read about 20% of this, but the MC was pretty unlikable to me, so the story didn’t hold my interest.

The Last House on Needless Street, by Catriona Ward. Despite the glowing reviews for this one, I couldn’t get into it. I only made it about 10% before giving up on its disjointedness.