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Sweat Connection (Hot Under the Collar #1)
Sweat Connection (Hot Under the Collar #1)
Katherine McIntyre | 2023 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
SWEAT CONNECTION is the first book in the Hot Under the Collar series, and I am already loving this series! Nope, there are no billionaires, no shifters, no vampires. What you have is low-angst 'normal' people with found families joining their lives together.

Katherine McIntyre is simply exceptional at character-led stories featuring found families. There's just no two ways about it! And in this one, there are so many characters that need stories! But for now, I'll stick with Rhys and Cole because, man oh man, are they worth talking about!

Rhys is one of those that has a nervous energy about it, all the time. Cole is one of those that puts people at ease, all the time. Together, when opposites attract, sparks fly! Cole provides the stability and grounding that Rhys needs, whilst Rhys gives Cole the enthusiasm and energy he might otherwise be lacking. I loved how their relationship was so loving and tender in ways an outsider might miss. That's the good part of having a story from the first perspective! We get to see both Cole and Rhys' worries and apprehensions and also see what the other person is thinking.

The connections are not just between Rhys and Cole though. Oh, no! Those tendrils spin out and connect Rhys' friends to Cole's dad and best friend. And let's not forget Sammy who made me laugh so many times. Luckily for me, my two have outgrown those years but I can look back now and laugh.

This was is 5-stars all the way. It simply couldn't be anything less. And from just two sentences in the epilogue, I am looking forward to Lex and Theo's story! Absolutely brilliant and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED by me.

** same worded review will appear elsewhere **

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jun 21, 2023
  
Fear Street Part Three: 1666 (2021)
Fear Street Part Three: 1666 (2021)
2021 | Horror
7
6.9 (12 Ratings)
Movie Rating
We get a recap of what has happened so far, much like in the previous film.
Deena has woken up in 1666,only her name is now Sarah and she is not the only person to be in this century. Every character from the past 2 movies are here too but all with different names, apart from Tommy who is now Thomas. It's all very confusing.
Anyway after a night of passion with the pastors daughter, strange things start to happen such as food going mouldy, a pig eating their young and Sarah's dog throws itself in the well. This leads to Sarah believing this is all her fault, and that she's being punished by the devil for her sins, and after a rather disturbing scene both hannah and Sarah are accused of being witches, and a witch hut begins to rid them from the earth.
Meanwhile, Sarah plans to save them both by making a deal with the devil revealing the truth about Sarah Friers curse.
I was surprised to find that only the first half of the movie was in 1666, as we are thrown back to 1994 as Deena comes out of her vision and realises what needs to be done to save shady side.
As I'm not really a fan of old time movies, I went into this expecting to hate it, but I actually ended up liking it. I liked that every moment throughout the series is answered and nothing is left hanging in the air. I thought the accents in 1666 were strange though, I couldn't tell what the accent was meant to be, Irish maybe!?!
I did enjoy the second half of the movie more than the first, it has a few light hearted funny moments which wasn't present in 1666, did they not have a sense of humour back then??
I liked that at the end of the movie it made way for another possible movie which would be interesting to see.
  
ST
Servant: The Kindred (Servant, #3)
4
4.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I almost feel bad having this series as my first review since I have absolutely nothing good to say about this book, or the series for that matter. Every element of this book was just terrible, from the language to the plot development, or lack thereof.
By the time I came to the final novel in the Servant trilogy, I quite literally had to force myself to read every page. Unlike the first two, where I became hooked on a goal that Gabrielle Cody was trying to reach, this book just grossed me out, bored me, and irritated me when I wasn’t bored. After the first chapter, I lost any hope that this novel was an improvement on the first two.
The foul language was so excessive that I noticed myself just passing over it like you would the word “the” or “and”. The fact that Gaby couldn’t form a sentence without saying the f-word seemed a bit juvenile to me. Foster’s attempt to make Gaby seem uneducated is contradicted when she randomly uses words like cathartic. It was out of her character.
The characters were more frustrating in this novel than in the previous ones. Gaby and Luther’s arguing left me so annoyed that, at times, I just skipped over it. I could not understand why Luther was so obsessed with her since any normal person probably would just ignored her from the get go. However, I felt that Gaby’s character had become more realistic in her feelings and thoughts. I actually liked that Gaby was so jealous of Ann, Luther’s partner who is perfect in every way. I also liked the relationship she forms with Bliss, a ex-prostitute that Gaby saved from the streets, and the two orphans that Gaby takes under her wing.
The biggest problem I have with this series is the pedestal that Foster place Gaby upon. Foster makes her protagonist so strong and unbeatable that, more than once, I thought that the author was trying to make Gaby a god on earth. Gaby only obtains one injury through the entire novel, a bullet wound that is used to further the plot. Without the bullet wound, Gaby would have never gone to get a tattoo. Nobody can touch Gaby, something I found not only a nuascance but unlikely.
The final noteworthy thing about this book, is that we discover Gaby ancestry. I felt appeased in my search for discovering more about Gaby’s past and parents. Any surprise I had about her parentage was nullified by Foster’s writing style.

I do believe I have complained enough about this series. I did have hope for it but was disappointed. After reading such an unpleasing series, I am going to read a book I know I should end up enjoying.
  
You Won't Know Her Name
You Won't Know Her Name
Shanti Hershenson | 2021 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Young Adult (YA)
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
When I first heard of You Won't Know Her Name by Santi Hershenson, there was just something about the synopsis that was calling to me to read it. The synopsis really sucked me in, and I found myself wanting to know more about The Girl. I ended up loving this book!

You Won't Know Her Name is certainly not for the faint of heart. With heavy themes such as bullying and sexual assault, I knew the plot would be a dark read. However, Hershenson writes like a pro, and the way she incorporates these themes into her story didn't put me off reading. The plot is solid and interesting if a little sad at what The Girl had to go through. I loved that there were no chapters, only poems and that each poem started with a title of what the short poem would be about. Each poem flows well into the next. It really made my heart hurt for all the injustices done to the girl (and her sister). What angered me the most was how the school failed this child. Unfortunately, many schools fail bullied children every day. (I speak from personal experience). I would say that there is a plot twist in this story, but there are no cliff hangers. It's just sad that there are so many people (children and adults alike) that have to go through such horrible bullying.

The characters in You Won't Know Her Name felt very realistic. We are told early on by the author that names aren't important so no names are ever mentioned in this story. We have "The Girl" who I felt so bad for. She didn't deserve any of the hate and the uncaringness she got. I just wanted to protect her so much throughout the story and tell "The Person" (The Girl's bully) to just back off. The Person acted in such a vile way toward The Girl and her sister. It made me wonder about The Person's background though. Was The Person being bullied at home to act out that way in school? I am, by no means, excusing The Person's behavior though.

Trigger warnings for You Won't Know Her Name include sexual assault (not graphic), profanity, talks of suicide, and violence. The author has included trigger warning notices at the start of each poem that could possibly trigger some readers though.

You Won't Know Her Name is a sad but a good read. There is some good to come out of it though. You Won't Know Her Name is a thought provoking read about a subject that, sadly, many children (and adults) have to deal with although they shouldn't.

Overall, You Won't Know Her Name is a well written piece of poetic literature that everyone should read. I would highly suggest that parents read it with their child and discuss it. If you are a librarian, buy this book for your library. It's not a long book either, so even the most hesitant reader could get a lot from it. I would definitely recommend You Won't Know Her Name by Shanti Hershenson to those aged 14+. Trust me, this is a book that needs to be read.
  
TU
The Uncoupling
Meg Wolitzer | 2011 | Fiction & Poetry
10
5.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
The story is told in a third-person narrative and divided into three parts. The first part focuses on the events leading up to the introduction of the play Lysistrata by the school's new drama teacher. The second part goes into detail about all of the different couples affected by the spell that the play casts over the town. The third part tells what happens in the night of the actual high-school production of the play and afterwards.
The spell of Lysistrata resembled a cold wind and only affected "women who were in some way connected sexually to men." No woman in the book was strong enough to resist the power of this mysterious wind, not even the ones newly in love and lust. Every woman affected imagined her own reasons for abstaining, and though all of the different reasons had a logical ring to them, only other women could relate. The men were simply left in the dark to react however he felt could change his twist in circumstances.
Early on, I felt that this book was a bit like a study of sex and the affects of sex -- or lack thereof -- on individuals and relationships. Even though the play Lysistrata was meant to be a catalyst for all of these private events, the high-school reenactment seemed to take a minor background role. The spell seemed to empower the women, though they did not act any happier with their new freedom and individuality. Many were just as baffled or depressed with the chastity as the men, but no couple was able to converse with each other about it, which I found strange and attributed to the effects of the spell. Ironically, because the issues of sex are such a private matter, very few couples shared their problems with anyone else in town, and so no one truly recognized the correlation between the abstinence of the females in town and the play Lysistrata. This irritated me to no end throughout the book.
On the night of the play, the spell is magically lifted by, quite appropriately, a warm wind when the men in the audience begin to protest the essence of the play itself and use that to try and win their women back. Throughout the whole book, the reader is lead to believe that this spell has no designer, that it has simply attached itself to the performance of the play from Lysistrata's origins in 411 B.C. Though I at first was suspicious of a certain person as casting the spell, I was also lulled into changing my mind about this. Without giving away the ending, I was quite surprised at the truth behind the spell's beginnings. There is much I could say about the thoughts that raced through my head while reading the last few pages and the conclusions that I drew from the revelation, but I will resist. I will say that the book is worth every page for its startling culmination.
  
Hollow City: The Second Novel of Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Synopsis: September 3, 1940. Ten peculiar children flee an army of deadly monsters. And only one person can help them—but she’s trapped in the body of a bird. The extraordinary journey that began in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children continues as Jacob Portman and his newfound friends journey to London, the peculiar capital of the world. There, they hope to find a cure for their beloved headmistress, Miss Peregrine. But in this war-torn city, hideous surprises lurk around every corner. And before Jacob can deliver the peculiar children to safety, he must make an important decision about his love for Emma Bloom.

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Paranormal, Fiction

Audience/Reading Level: Middle School+

Interests: Fantasy, Young Adult, Paranormal

Style: Light Read

Point of View: Third Person

Difficulty Reading: It was a very easy read and know even younger individuals will be able to understand what the underlying meaning of the story is.

Promise: Like its predecessor, this second novel in the Peculiar Children series blends thrilling fantasy with newly discovered (and thoroughly mesmerizing) vintage photography to create a one-of-a-kind reading experience that will delight readers of all ages.

Quality: Like your favorite cake with extra whip cream and ice cream. 😉

Insights: When I first read this series, I read Tales of the Peculiar by Ransom Riggs first to get a better understanding of the characters since I had a feeling that there was going to be a lot of references to it. I was right. I honestly fell in love with this series and love the way that Ransom Riggs writes. It just captures my attention and transports me into a world of fantasy that is a great escape from reality!

Favorite Quotes: “Laughing doesn’t make bad things worse any more than crying makes them better.”

“There was romance in the unknown, but once a place had been discovered and cataloged and mapped, it was diminished, just another dusty fact in a book, sapped of mystery. So maybe it was better to leave a few spots on the map blank. To let the world keep a little of its magic, rather than forcing it to divulge every last secret. Maybe it was better, now and then, to wonder.”

What will you gain: A love of a new fantasy world that will make you wish, you too were a part of the Peculiar children’s world.

Aesthetics: I absolutely love the vintage style this series has. The photographs help give an idea of who and what the characters look like. The way that Ransom Riggs writes, just draws anybody of any age into the plot and storyline, like an enchantment that takes you from the real world, into a world filled with magic, hope, love, and adventure.

“Some truths are expressed best in the form of myth.”