Thank you to @simonbooks & @librofm for the review copy! 

I’m Glad My Mom Died 

By Jennette McCurdy

🎧 Narrated by: Jennette McCurdy

Book 64 of 2024

I have been working on my backlist,  and finally read I’m Glad My Mom Died. This book was everywhere when it was released in 2022, and I remember everyone talking about it being amazing, devastating, and an excellent audiobook. I agree with all of that, it was amazing listening to Jennette read her story, but also made the difficult parts even more difficult. 

I took my time with this one, because the content was so heavy. With the recent documentary “Quiet on Set,” I think there has been a lot of talk about how the entertainment industry treats child and teen actors. So often, it seems to come back to parents being willing to exploit their own child for profit or wish fulfillment. 

Overall, it was incredible to read about Jennette’s coming of age story, and her journey from being incredibly controlled by her mother to finding independence and healing. 

🎧 McCurdy’s performance was incredible, and I highly recommend the book on audio if you can stomach it. Something I noticed about the audiobook formatting itself is that there seemed to be especially long pauses between chapters, which was especially jarring since the chapters were extremely short. Having 5-10 seconds of dead space every 2-6 minutes annoyed me. 

CW: child abuse, disordered eating (both graphic) 

QotD: (choose one or all!)

– Celebrity memoir readers – what have you read and enjoyed lately? (doesn’t have to be a new release)

– How often do you prioritize backlist books? 

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A heartbreaking and hilarious memoir by iCarly and Sam & Cat star Jennette McCurdy about her struggles as a former child actor—including eating disorders, addiction, and a complicated relationship with her overbearing mother—and how she retook control of her life.

Jennette McCurdy was six years old when she had her first acting audition. Her mother’s dream was for her only daughter to become a star, and Jennette would do anything to make her mother happy. So she went along with what Mom called “calorie restriction,” eating little and weighing herself five times a day. She endured extensive at-home makeovers while Mom chided, “Your eyelashes are invisible, okay? You think Dakota Fanning doesn’t tint hers?” She was even showered by Mom until age sixteen while sharing her diaries, email, and all her income.

In I’m Glad My Mom Died, Jennette recounts all this in unflinching detail—just as she chronicles what happens when the dream finally comes true. Cast in a new Nickelodeon series called iCarly , she is thrust into fame. Though Mom is ecstatic, emailing fan club moderators and getting on a first-name basis with the paparazzi (“Hi Gale!”), Jennette is riddled with anxiety, shame, and self-loathing, which manifest into eating disorders, addiction, and a series of unhealthy relationships. These issues only get worse when, soon after taking the lead in the iCarly spinoff Sam & Cat alongside Ariana Grande, her mother dies of cancer. Finally, after discovering therapy and quitting acting, Jennette embarks on recovery and decides for the first time in her life what she really wants.
Told with refreshing candor and dark humor, I’m Glad My Mom Died is an inspiring story of resilience, independence, and the joy of shampooing your own hair.

📚 book review 📚 

The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever 

By Julia Quinn

🎧 Narrated by: Jenny Sterlin 

Series: Bevelstoke, Book 1 

Book 62 of 2024

This is my fourth Julia Quinn series. I had never picked up a historical romance until after I watched the first season of Bridgerton, and now I read almost one a week. I love how cozy and low angst JQ’s books usually are!  My favorite series so far was the Smythe-Smith quartet. 

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The Bevelstoke series is a collection of novels with secondary characters from other JQ books. I didn’t read the other books first, and I think you can read this without having read What Happened in London, but if you’re a purist, read that first! 

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I very much know what I’m going to get from Julia Quinn. Like, I know her men are kind of alphaholes and at some point are going to do something immensely stupid and I’m going to question why I even read these books. But her heroines are always so delightful that I just vibe with whatever chaos occurs. This book was no different, and Miranda is too good for Nigel, honestly. 

🎧 The audio was really well done, and Jenny Sterlin fit both the cozy moments and the more angsty moments. Definitely pick your favorite format for this one! 

QotD: Have you watched the most recent season of Bridgerton? What author have you read the most books from recently? 

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2 March 1810… Today, I fell in love.

At the age of ten, Miranda Cheever showed no signs of Great Beauty. And even at ten, Miranda learned to accept the expectations society held for her—until the afternoon when Nigel Bevelstoke, the handsome and dashing Viscount Turner, solemnly kissed her hand and promised her that one day she would grow into herself, that one day she would be as beautiful as she already was smart. And even at ten, Miranda knew she would love him forever.

But the years that followed were as cruel to Turner as they were kind to Miranda. She is as intriguing as the viscount boldly predicted on that memorable day—while he is a lonely, bitter man, crushed by a devastating loss. But Miranda has never forgotten the truth she set down on paper all those years earlier—and she will not allow the love that is her destiny to slip lightly through her fingers…

One Dark Window

By Rachel Gillig

🎧 Narrated by: Lisa Cordileone 

Series: The Shepard King, Book 1 

Book 60 of 2024

One Dark Window was a lot of fun, and I’m so glad I finally read it! However, when people call it a “dark” fantasy, I think I had the idea that it was going to be a little more morally gray and characters would have to make some complicated choices, which isn’t what I got. Instead, it was a fast-paced adventure, with some romance and an interesting, fresh fantasy world. 

I look forward to continuing with this series, I hear some people love the sequel even more! 

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For fans of Uprooted and For the Wolf comes a dark, lushly gothic fantasy about a maiden who must unleash the monster within to save her kingdom—but the monster in her head isn’t the only threat lurking.

Elspeth needs a monster. The monster might be her.

Elspeth Spindle needs more than luck to stay safe in the eerie, mist-locked kingdom of Blunder—she needs a monster. She calls him the Nightmare, an ancient, mercurial spirit trapped in her head. He protects her. He keeps her secrets.

But nothing comes for free, especially magic.

When Elspeth meets a mysterious highwayman on the forest road, her life takes a drastic turn. Thrust into a world of shadow and deception, she joins a dangerous quest to cure Blunder from the dark magic infecting it. Except the highwayman just so happens to be the King’s own nephew, Captain of the most dangerous men in Blunder…and guilty of high treason.

He and Elspeth have until Solstice to gather twelve Providence Cards—the keys to the cure. But as the stakes heighten and their undeniable attraction intensifies, Elspeth is forced to face her darkest secret yet: the Nightmare is slowly, darkly, taking over her mind. And she might not be able to stop him.

Thank you to  @brambleromance & @torbooks for the review copy! 

Calamity

By Constance Fay

🎧 Narrated by: Paige Reisenfeld 

Series: Uncharted Hearts, Book 1

Book 58 of 2024

For me, the absolute pinnacle of science fiction content was the show Firefly. I was really hoping that I would get the same vibes with Calamity, and it absolutely met my expectations!

Calamity was fun, fast paced, and filled with romance! I love the found family aspect and the simmering tension between the romantic leads. I will admit that I get bored pretty easily if there is too much “science” in my science fiction, so this felt like enough to make the world make sense but not so much that it was overwhelming. 

Part of what made it so bingeable for me was that there wasn’t a ton of character growth or emotional complexity. I would recommend it for when you want to binge something kind of light but with action and romance. I look forward to reading the sequel!

🎧 Paige Reisenfeld did a fantastic job bringing this book to life. Since Calamity is kind of science fiction for the romance reader, the world building and language wasn’t so complex that I had trouble following by audio. 

QotD: Were you able to see the Northern Lights last night? 

OR – what are you currently reading? 

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Bramble’s inaugural debut is equal parts steamy interstellar romance and sci-fi adventure, perfect for fans of Firefly and Ilona Andrews.

She’s got a ramshackle spaceship, a misfit crew, and a big problem with its sexy newest member…

Temperance Reed, banished from the wealthy and dangerous Fifteen Families, just wants to keep her crew together after their feckless captain ran off with the intern. But she’s drowning in debt and revolutionary new engine technology is about to make her beloved ship obsolete.

Enter Arcadio Escajeda. Second child of the terrifying Escajeda Family, he’s the thorn in Temper’s side as they’re sent off on a scouting mission on the backwater desert planet of Herschel 2. They throw sparks every time they meet but Temper’s suspicions of his ulterior motives only serve to fuel the flames between them.

Despite volcanic eruptions, secret cultists, and deadly galactic fighters, the greatest threat on this mission may be to Temper’s heart.

Thank you to @berkleyromance,  @librofm, and @prhaudio for the review copies! 

Funny Story 

By Emily Henry 

🎧 Narrated by: Julia Whelan 

Book 58 of 2024

I was not prepared for how heavy the parental trauma was going to be in this one – definitely reach out or look up the content warnings if that’s an area of sensitivity. 

As much as I tend towards fluffy romances than ones like this that make me feel my feelings, I absolutely adored Funny Story. Emily Henry is a master at balancing humor, romance, and deep feelings to create a story that sticks with you for a long time after reading it. In fact, I loved it so much that it took me weeks before I could read another contemporary romance book, because nothing held up to this masterpiece. 

In the very beginning, I wasn’t sure if I was going to enjoy this one, because the premise includes my least favorite trope of “ooops I’m actually in love with my best friend” and our introduction to Miles gave me the ick. But I was quickly drawn into the story, and absolutely loved both Daphne and Miles.  

🎧 Julia Whelan is simply a master storyteller. It is always a treat to listen to her work and completely lose yourself in the story. 

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A shimmering, joyful new novel about a pair of opposites with the wrong thing in common, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry.

Daphne always loved the way her fiancé Peter told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it…right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra.

Which is how Daphne begins her new story: Stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak.

Scruffy and chaotic—with a penchant for taking solace in the sounds of heart break love ballads —Miles is exactly the opposite of practical, buttoned up Daphne, whose coworkers know so little about her they have a running bet that she’s either FBI or in witness protection. The roommates mainly avoid one another, until one day, while drowning their sorrows, they form a tenuous friendship and a plan. If said plan also involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their summer adventures together, well, who could blame them?

But it’s all just for show, of course, because there’s no way Daphne would actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex…right?

Thank you to Macmillan Children’s and Macmillan Audio for the review copy! 

The Last Bloodcarver

By Vanessa Le

🎧 Narrated by: VyVy Nguyen

Series: The Last Bloodcarver Duology, Book 1 

Book 57 of 2024

The Last Bloodcarver feels like a book written for a teen/YA audience. In an era where some adult readers sometimes put expectations on YA books catering to them, I think it’s important that young readers can find books that are for them. 

Readers who are looking for a medical drama and murder mystery with fantasy elements will likely enjoy this one. We get to spend a lot of time watching Nhika explore her powers and think about the world she has grown up in. There is a lot of discussion about colonization and its impacts on folk magic and practices, which I think this generation of readers will find really interesting. 

I picked this one up because of the cover and the blurb compared it to Cinder, which I absolutely loved. I don’t really understand the comparison with “mechanical wonders of Cinder,” but maybe I didn’t read the book closely enough. My expectations were set that there was going to be more of a focus on romance, and the romance felt very friends – to – more, which is not my favorite trope. The found family friendships were more strong, and I think it’s a mistake to market this as a romantasy. Likely, the next book will focus more on the romantic elements and it may make more sense then. 

🎧 The Last Bloodcarver was excellent on audio. I sometimes have trouble with fantasy worldbuilding – names of people and places tend to go in one ear and out the other for me – so not having a ton of names to learn made it an easy listen for me. VyVy Nguyen created a lush and clear world with her performance, and really brought each individual character to life. Some listeners may recognize her as part of the cast of Stars in Your Eyes and Sunshine Nails. 

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The tantalizing romance of These Violent Delights meets the mechanical wonders of Cinder in The Last Bloodcarver, the first in a two-book debut — with a riveting medical magic system and lush Vietnam-inspired fantasy world.

Nhika is a bloodcarver. A cold-hearted, ruthless being who can alter human biology with just a touch. In the industrial city of Theumas, she is seen not as a healer, but a monster that kills for pleasure.

When Nhika is caught using her bloodcarving abilities during a sham medical appointment, she’s captured by underground thugs and sold to an aristocratic family to heal the last witness of their father’s murder.

But as Nhika delves deeper into their investigation amidst the glitz of Theumas’ wealthiest district, she begins to notice parallels between this job and her own dark past. And when she meets an alluring yet entitled physician’s aide, Ven Kochin, she’s forced to question the true intent behind this murder. In a society that outcasts her, Kochin seems drawn to her…though he takes every chance he gets to push her out of his opulent world.

When Nhika discovers that Kochin is not who he claims to be, and that there is an evil dwelling in Theumas that runs much deeper than the murder of one man, she must decide where her heart, and her allegiance, truly lie. And — if she’s willing to become the dreaded bloodcarver Theumas fears — to save herself and the ones she’s vowed to protect.

One Season with the Duke 

By Addy Du Lac

🎧 Narrated by: Nneka Okoye

Standalone 

Book 56 of 2024

This one is for my historical romance reader friends who love when he’s in love with her from the start – always a favorite trope for me, no matter the genre. One Season with the Duke had delicious tension, and I cannot believe that this was author Addy DuLac’s debut OR that she doesn’t have another book coming out until 2025! I know I have a lot to read…but I want more of THIS. It gave me Bridgerton Season 1 vibes where the drama was just turned up to 11 at all times. 

🎧 I listened to the audiobook in a sitting or two while multitasking, and I think that’s kind of the perfect vibe for this book. The set up is a bit over the top and ridiculous, which I generally love, and the characters are kind of too focused on their problems to think logically for a minute. Nneka Okoye brought this book to life beautifully, I also enjoyed her work on Mortal Follies and An Island Princess Starts a Scandal. 

DuLac takes a Bridgerton the show approach to Hettie’s race, where it’s mentioned that it could be a problem, but it doesn’t really come up again.

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Heiress Henrietta Monfort would never do anything to hurt her beloved aunt and uncle. But thanks to her cousin—who’s discovered a secret about her parentage that even she didn’t know—she is moments away from ruin…unless she marries him. Hettie has no choice. She must accept the villainous snake’s hand in marriage. So be it. But no man will ever own her heart, body, or soul.

Lord Findley has always had a soft spot for Hettie. Discovering that she’s being blackmailed into marriage is nothing short of appallingly outrageous. How could he allow someone unworthy to marry the gentle-hearted and bright-eyed Hettie—let alone a blaggard of the lowest order? To hell with it. He’ll marry her himself…even if it is the scandal of the season.

Now they’re racing for Scotland, praying they can outrun the jilted crook who seeks Hettie’s hand and her fortune. But ahead of them lies their greatest obstacle yet…and one unexpected—and damnably inconvenient—attraction that will turn both their worlds upside down.

Vows and Ruins
By Helen Scheuerer
🎧 Narrated by: Mollie Stark and Sebastian Grove 
Series: Legends of Thezzmar, Book 2 
Book 55 of 2024 – Backlist Review
Do you find yourself rating some genres more harshly than others?

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Vows and Ruins is book 2 of a planned 4 book series + 1 companion novel “Slaying the Shadow Prince” that should be read after Book 2! Definitely read them in order. (Thanks  @bella_bibliophile_bello & @lindzzlillibrary for walking me through the series!)

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I love when a series gives me consistent vibes, you know? I may not know how it’s going to end but I have an idea of how it’s going to make me feel? I felt like Vows and Ruins matched the plotting and intensity of book 1, with a little more spice. I read it so quickly that I don’t know that I can give this review a lot of depth, but I definitely recommend it for when you are looking for something fast paced! 

I initially gave it 4 stars, but as I’m thinking more about it, I’m upping it to 5 stars. It’s absolutely giving what it set out to give, and I loved every minute of it. The only reason I want to rate it lower is because it hasn’t immediately entered that highest peak obsession, but I really wish I could rate those above 5 stars anyway. 

🎧 I love these narrators, they fit their characters so well! Since most of the major worldbuilding happened in book one, I didn’t have any trouble listening to this via audiobook exclusively. 

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Truly my toxic trait as a fantasy/romantasy reader is that I hold fantasy books up to a higher standard of excellence than any other genre. Like, if I finish a fantasy book and am capable of reading anything else, it’s not good? If I am anything less than completely obsessed, do I even like fantasy? I don’t feel this way about any other genre, to be clear, just fantasy. I can read a romance book, remember 0% of the plot or characters, and happily give it 5 stars. 

I think it comes down to my obsessions with the HP & ACOTAR series. I don’t know how to be chill about fantasy. I don’t know how to be a casual fan. If I don’t feel the compulsive need to memorize every detail about the book, what’s even the point? 

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QotD: Do you find yourself rating some genres more harshly than others? Last book you gave 5 stars? 

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Against all odds, Althea Zoltaire emerged from her trials as a champion. Now, she must train even harder and prepare herself to become a true warrior of Thezmarr.

But Thea’s world is turned upside down as she struggles to navigate her newfound magic and uncover the secrets of her past. Slowly, she begins to untangle the truth about her family, her powers and the evil that threatens to engulf the kingdom.

When Wilder Hawthorne returns to be her official mentor, everything changes. Dark forces are gathering, and he will stop at nothing to prepare her for the challenges to come, even if it means breaking her.

As war looms and their quest for answers leads master and apprentice deeper into danger, the undeniable connection between them intensifies – defying all odds, but also threatening to tear them apart.

With secrets unravelling and evil closing in, Thea and Wilder fight to save the world, and each other. The fate of the realms rests in their hands – will they emerge victorious, or will the darkness consume them both?

Full of action, adventure and steamy romance, Vows & Ruins is the second book in the spellbinding epic romantic fantasy series, The Legends of Thezmarr and is perfect for fans of The Bridge Kingdom, From Blood and Ash and The Witcher.

I’ve been dealing with post-Covid symptoms since getting Covid in July of 2022. Unfortunately, even copy/pasting my reviews from Goodreads & spending a few minutes formatting was too much mental energy for a few months. And then, like any habit, getting back to it seemed so difficult!

So stay tuned for all of the reviews I didn’t post while I was out sick!