She Just Loves Books

The Most Likely Club by Elyssa Friedland

Published on October 7, 2022September 4, 2022 by shejustlovesbooksLeave a comment

"Historical Fiction" genre card with glasses and book photo

"Mystery" Genre card with dark woods and light in the distance

The Most Likely Club is a blast from the past and a lesson in not living in your past at the same time. Four friends are faced with their 25-year high school reunion and find that they haven’t all lived up to their “Most Likely to” superlatives. They feel it’s time to take their lives to the places they thought they would be 25 years ago and make a pact to step it up.

So, I liked this story, and I really connected with these women. I really enjoyed all the 90’s references. I mean I am a 90’s kid, so all the references really resonated with me! I enjoyed the plans that they put in place, and the actions they took to get where they wanted to be. I did find that there were a few too many things going on to really keep me invested enough to make this a 4-star story though.

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The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

Published on September 24, 2022September 18, 2022 by shejustlovesbooks3 Comments

Copy of Science Fiction with pink background and oversized moon with reflection in water

I was really excited to read this, and I even pre-ordered it…and then it sat on my shelf like oh so many books do! I finally picked it up and read it, and I’m glad I did. I appreciated reading about Snow and how he became the monster he was in the first three books. I actually really enjoyed his story…for 2/3 of the book. I lost a lot of interest in the final 1/3, and I know it was necessary, but I think it could have been significantly shorter.

The first two sections of the book focus on how Snow ends up being a mentor of someone in the games, and how they become attached to each other. I really became invested in that entire storyline. However, the final section of the story follows Snow in the aftermath of the Games, and it just dragged for me. I wasn’t really interested, and it took forever to get through it.

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Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder by Valerie Burns

Published on September 21, 2022September 18, 2022 by shejustlovesbooksLeave a comment

I am so glad this series exists! I cannot wait for book 2 now!! This was a wonderful cozy mystery with an amazing dog everyone will fall in love with and quirky characters to keep you laughing!

When Maddy inherits her recently passed great aunt’s home, bakery, and dog, she’s definitely in over her head. She’s happy to just sell it all and get the money for more shoes, except that there’s a clause in this will. She can’t just sell it, she’s got to live in the house, run the bakery, and care for the dog. When a murder and a fire take place in her very newly acquired bakery, her whole life turns upside down as she finds that she wants to find the murderer and save the bakery!

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Miles and the Soldier by G.J. Kemp

Published on September 21, 2022September 18, 2022 by shejustlovesbooks1 Comment

*Welcome to the blog tour for* The Acre Series *hosted by* Iread Book Tours!

Book Genre Tag "Fantasy" with image of fantasy world of mountains and water

Book Genre Block - "Young Adult" with 4 young adults

Miles and the Soldier is the second book in The Acre Series. This one starts off right after the end of the first book, so I would recommend reading book 1, Juno and the Lady before starting this one.

I have really come to enjoy this fantasy series! I’ve read book 1 as well as two novellas in the series, and what I am absolutely loving is the characters! I was so happy to have so many of the characters from book 1 being incorporated into the second book! In addition to having these old friends back in the story, there are also a great cast of new characters that are added, and I loved them to!

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An Autumn Kiss by Laura Rollins, Annette Lyon, and Lisa H. Catmull

Published on September 21, 2022September 18, 2022 by shejustlovesbooks1 Comment

Book Genre Tag "Romance": A couple kissing

An Autumn Kiss is a great collection of historical romance novellas written by three different authors. It’s a fun grouping of stories that all have the same theme, and they all have the same fall setting, which is perfect for the next few months! However, pick this book up at any time of year, the stories are great!

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Petra and the Sewer Rats by G.J. Kemp

Published on September 20, 2022September 18, 2022 by shejustlovesbooks1 Comment

Petra and the Sewer Rats is the second novella in the Juno and the Lady series. Even though this one is labeled as 1.2, you could pick this up at any point while reading the series.

I loved that this story was all about a woman’s goal to help those who weren’t getting the help they needed! Petra lives a pretty cushy life, but when she discovers a world of people that do not live the way she does, she knows she has to do something!

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Fairy Tale by Stephen King

Published on September 19, 2022September 18, 2022 by shejustlovesbooksLeave a comment

Well, I just absolutely loved this book! Stephen King has such an amazing mind for creation of worlds and storytelling! This story was filled with friendships, magic, evil and good, action, and saving the world, and I loved every second of it!

Charlie is our hero of this story. When his mother dies, and his father falls into the bottle, he makes a deal with God. He will pay it back in ANY way if only his father would stop drinking. And his father stopped drinking. So, the day Charlie hears crotchy old man Bowditch yelling for help, and the barking of his ferocious dog, Charlie decides this is his moment. He rescues Mr. Bowditch and finds a friendship in the most wonderful dog EVER as well as in the still grumpy, but quite heartwarming Mr. Bowditch.

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Lucy on the Wild Side by Kerry Rea

Published on September 19, 2022September 18, 2022 by shejustlovesbooksLeave a comment

White library with lots of stairs and "Contemporary" text

This book is an adorable romance that also has some really nice focuses on self-development and overcoming personal struggles! I loved the addition of the animals as part of the story, and I thought the romance was done really well!

Lucy lives to work with her gorillas at the Columbus Zoo. Everything about her job is absolutely wonderful, except for her Critter Chats when she has to public speak, which is NOT her thing. When a popular show, On the Wild Side, comes to the zoo to shoot their next season, her job goes from almost perfect to incredibly stressful. She’s up for a promotion, but she has to overcome her fears to make the show and zoo a success. Luckily, Dr. Kimber from the show is there to help her … Enter romance, stage left😉

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The Winter Orphans by Kristin Beck

Published on September 18, 2022September 18, 2022 by shejustlovesbooks1 Comment

I really enjoyed this well-written, emotional WWII historical fiction! This story follows a group of children who bravely escape the Nazi’s through a harrowing journey of occupied France.

I really appreciated the research that went into the work of Anne-Marie Piguet to save all those children. The details were excellent, and while there were definitely fictional elements and characters, the overall story and amazing work that was done by Anne-Marie Piguet was well-portrayed.

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Cake Eater by Allyson Dahlin

Published on September 17, 2022 by shejustlovesbooksLeave a comment

Book genre block - "Royalty" two small crowns

I thought this was such a fun retelling for Marie Antoinette. I loved the historical facts that were woven into the story and updated to have a futuristic feel. In this reimagined story, Marie Antoinette is marrying into a royal family and a country filled with turmoil.

The author did a great job of sticking with the major situations and issues happening in the OG Marie’s life. I found myself getting really stressed out as we got closer and closer to that awful beheading. I have to say, Allyson did a great job with the ending…no spoilers! But I was happy with the entire story and the wrap up.

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Instructions for Dancing book held up to sky

Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon

Published on September 15, 2022September 11, 2022 by shejustlovesbooksLeave a comment

This was such a great mixture of magical realism and romance. I loved how the magic fit into the character journey of Evie, the main character. Her cynicism about lasting love impacts her in a magical way as she gains the ability to know the future of a relationship.

This story had moment of light-hearted fun, ones of great sadness, and ones filled with excitement and elation. I found myself invested in the entire journey, and I really appreciated the underlying message the author was trying to convey.

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Valen and the Beasts by G.J. Kemp

Published on September 13, 2022September 10, 2022 by shejustlovesbooks3 Comments

Valen and the Beasts is a novella in the Juno and the Lady series. This can pretty much be read at any point in the series. It’s labeled as 1.1, but I don’t think you have to read it right after book 1 if you don’t want to.

This was a fun, exciting, and quick addition to this series. I really enjoyed that we get to meet new characters and also explore new areas of this fantasy world. I liked this story and plot just as much as book 1, and I would definitely recommend reading it at some point during your reading of this fantastic series!

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