Review: Sounds Like Summer by Six de los Reyes

It’s not just a weekend for Lux Castelo. She has a plan, of course.

Phase One: Escape to the beach for a music festival.
Phase Two: Deal with what she can’t control.
Phase Three: Return to reality whole and ready.

Nowhere in that plan is Micah Jacinto, self-proclaimed adventurer and the kind of boy with his head stuck in the clouds and the moon inked on his arm—everything her rational sense tells her to stay away from. And yet Lux finds herself welcoming the distraction. As they spend the entire weekend together, Micah leads her to rediscover the lost pieces of herself amidst the excitement and the confusion of a raving mosh pit.

But all weekends come to an end and Lux needs to return to the dreaded reality she’s running away from. Does being brave enough to leave summer behind mean being brave enough to ask Micah to stay?

ebook.

Novella.

First Person.

Maybe.
The main character has mental health issues and self-harms.

No.

No.

Not really.
More like a happy for now.

No.

No.

No.

This was a very mixed read for me and for a lot of the book I wasn't sure what to make of it.
It was a bit rambly and incoherent at times but when it wasn't it was beautifully written.

It's told from the pov of Lux who I struggled to connect with.
She was running away from, well, life at the beginning of the novel and running towards a music festival. That was easy enough to wrap my head around but the rest of her thinking... Not so much.
Simply put, the chick has issues and I just couldn't relate to her at all.
 Her impulses and her way of thinking was so foreign to me, it jarred horribly.

I was at 10% and seriously considering DNFing the book but I persisted and I'm glad I did.
For on the bus to the music festival, she meets a boy.
A sweet, chatty, interesting and persistent boy who doesn't let her shut him out and they form the most amazing connection that was addictive to read about.
However, despite the magical connection and weekend they share, the book is almost painfully realistic in the way things play out.
Meeting a wonderful boy, who she could one day love, does not heal Lux. It doesn't make her problems go away. This is not a 'love cures all' type of book. It's a book designed to foster understanding. To promote acceptance and tolerance.
Lux doesn't think anyone can deal with her, Micah thinks that she'd worth it: Dark places, scary times and all.
The book is sweet, beautiful and hopeful.
It leaves you feeling optimistic for their future but doesn't delve into the future.
I ended up liking it but, at the same time, not.
It was just a little too real for the light-hearted summer read I was expecting.

I love the old school look of the cover and the summery vibes.

"I’m afraid of falling and never getting back up."

💬

“Scientists.” He shakes his head. “Always sterilizing the feels."

💬

“Don’t think that taking your life is going to solve anything. Days end, but unless it’s the end of the world, it’s not your ending yet.”

💬

“People who say they don’t believe in relationships are probably just scared of it. So instead of facing that fear and allowing themselves to be open with a person, they say they don’t believe in it and act all tough when they’re the ones who desperately need to be loved."

Review: Drink Deep by Chloe Neill

Clouds are brewing over Cadogan House, and recently turned vampire Merit can’t tell if this is the darkness before the dawn or the calm before the storm. With the city iself in turmoil over paranormals and the state threatening to pass a paranormal registration act, times haven’t been this precarious for vampires since they came out of the closet. If only they could lay low for a bit, and let the mortals calm down.

That’s when the waters of Lake Michigan suddenly turn pitch black-and things really start getting ugly.

Chicago’s mayor insists it’s nothing to worry about, but Merit knows only the darkest magic could have woven a spell powerful enough to change the very fabric of nature. She’ll have to turn to friends old and new to find out who’s behind this, and stop them before it’s too late for vampires and humans alike.

ebook

Full Length Novel

First Person - Merit

No

I'd say yes, although you could probably get by without reading the others... You'd just miss a lot and be the worse off for it.

No

N/A
HFN... It's UF!

No

No

Yep, but it's quite tame.

Book five kicks off a couple of months after the heartbreaking events in book four. Merit has thrown herself into her role as sentinel and is working with Jonah, captain of the Grey House guards, - I love Jonah! - developing her skills and trying to pick up the broken pieces of herself and find a way to put herself back together while the rest of Cadogan House tries to heal from its loss and deal with an asshat arbitrator assigned by the GP for all of their perceived sins.

Strange things are happening around Chicago - like the water turning black and the sky turning red - and, as per the current social climate, the vampires are blamed for all the unnatural ‘evils’ in the world. To protect her house, and vampires in general, Merit - and the lovely Jonah! - must work out what is causing the chaos and put a stop to it before all is lost.

This made for a book packed full of action, magic and emotion… So many emotions! I can’t really elaborate on all the twists and turns without spoiling the book but let's just say that by the end I’m gutted for both Catcher and Merit, heartbroken over what's not meant to be with Jonah - I love him - and the big WTFery of the last book is put to rights.

It was epic but I was left drained by the end and, to be honest, I’m not in a burning hurry to move onto the next book. I need to just sit and digest the twists, turns, revelations and ramifications of this book before continuing on with this really enjoyable series.

The cover is fine but I don't like the model's face. It just doesn't fit Merit. Not even a little bit.
 (Mean, I know.)

“I walked inside and paused for a moment to breathe in the scent of paper and dust—the perfumes of knowledge.”

Review: Meet Me At Willow Hall by Carla Burgess

She thought she’d never see him again…

Rachel Jones’ best friend’s wedding is the perfect distraction from her own broken heart. That is, until the moment she squeezes into her bridesmaid dress and looks up to see the man who walked out of her life three months ago, Anthony Bascombe!

Still just as gorgeous as she remembers, it’s clear Anthony’s been keeping a secret from her and Rachel’s determined to get to the bottom of it! The trouble is, the more time she spends around Anthony, the more she can’t help falling for him…

But Anthony’s already disappeared before, can Rachel trust that this time he’s back for good?

*eARC received via Netgalley*

ebook.

Full-Length Novel.

Third Person, Singular.

No.

No.
The couple in this book - Rachel and Anthony - meet and have a romance in a previous book, Meet Me Under The Mistletoe, but you don't have to have read it to read this one.
That said, I loved this book so much because I'd read Meet Me Under The Mistletoe.

Nope!

Yep!

Nope.

Nope.

Nope.

I loved this book!
It's such a perfect, feel good, summer romance... I inhaled it from start to finish in three or four hours and stayed up way too late to do so because I couldn't stop reading it.
It was addictive.

The book picks up not long after the events of Meet Me Under The Mistletoe, the first book of Rachel and Anthony's story - don't worry if you haven't read it, each book stands alone - and as the blurb suggests, Rachel and Anthony's happy for now at the end of their first story doesn't last.
Meet Me At Willow Hall deals with the whys of why Anthony pulled a dick move and broke up with Rachel - in a really shitty fashion, btw - and beautifully maneuvers them back together for their happy ever after using Willow Hall and a friends wedding as the perfect backdrop.

The book was sweet, funny, full of feels and romance and pretty free of angst!
I finished the book feeling all warm and fuzzy, giddy and happy, and I just think it's a perfect summer read. 

I love these types of covers. Sweet, summery and whimsical.