Confess by Colleen Hoover

Book Genre Tag "Romance": A couple kissing
Book Genre Block - "General Fiction" Person holding book

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Okay, Colleen Hoover can do no wrong in my book. Her stories are an immersive experience that will make you forget your real-world exists!

So when I finish a CoHo book, a lot of times, I’m completely wrecked. She has twisted me up and wrung me out, and I need a minute before I tackle another one. This one though, it was a really good balance of emotion, character development, and plot. I found myself in love with the characters and invested in their stories, but I feel like I could pick another one up right away this time!

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Twice a Quinceañera by Yamile Saied Méndez

Book Genre Tag "Romance": A couple kissing
Book Genre Block - "General Fiction" Person holding book

Rating: 4 out of 5.

This was such a lighthearted story, and it just made me feel happy! When a wedding falls apart, but everything is booked…why not throw yourself a Double Quinceañera!

This had a nice mix of rom-com and women’s fiction, which is something that I am continuing to love more and more! This definitely a love interest, and it’s a bit of a second-chance, but this also has the storyline of the growth and changes that our MC goes through. Nadia has a lot of family pressure and expectation, and it’s a really high bar to reach for. I felt frustrated at times for her, but I enjoyed watching the story and her inner strength grow!

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Mika in Real Life by Emiko Jean

Book Genre Block - "General Fiction" Person holding book

Rating: 5 out of 5.

This book was absolutely stunning. Emiko Jean has quickly become a favorite author for me! I love the cultural perspective she provides, and the stories that tug at my heart strings! Read this if you enjoy strong character growth, family stories, and imperfect lives.

Mika is living a messy life. She’s 35 without a job, constantly needing money from her parents, never able to live up to the traditional Japanese expectations of her parents, and she her most recent relationship just crashed and burned.

And then she gets a phone call from Penny and everything changes. You see, Mika gave Penny up for adoption 16 years ago, but they have never spoken before. They begin to get to know each other over the phone, but Mika finds herself creating the perfect life for herself as she inflates and adjusts the truth.

When Penny announces that she’s coming to meet and spend time with Mika, she finds herself trying to make this fantasy life become a reality.

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First Bride to Fall by Ginny Baird

Book Genre Tag "Romance": A couple kissing
Book Genre Block - "General Fiction" Person holding book

Rating: 4 out of 5.

There are these sisters, and they each have their own hopes and dreams. When their family’s way of life is threatened though, they are willing to risk their future to race to find love in 30 days.

This story is such an adorable small-town clean romance. I love that Nell sets her sights on Grant, a man she’s always loved. The two don’t have the same things in common, which creates those silly moments I enjoyed!

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Behind the Lens by Jeannée Sacken

Book Genre Block - "General Fiction" Person holding book
Book Genre Block - "Emotional" Person standing between bright earth and desolate earth

Rating: 5 out of 5.

This story was impossible to put down! It’s a book that I got incredibly emotionally invested in and needed to know what was going to happen!

Annie is a warzone photojournalist. While working in Afghanistan, she is attacked by the Taliban, and witnesses some incredibly horrific things. When she returns home is haunted by what she experienced. She is asked to teach in an Afghanistan school, and she accepts, but when she gets there, she can’t help but feel watched.

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A Dress of Violet Taffeta by Tessa Arlen

"Historical Fiction" genre card with glasses and book photo
"Historical Fiction" genre card with glasses and book photo

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Well, wow. This was a fantastic story! It’s got a strong female lead trying to make it on her own, a mother who holds her back, and a sister who wants to enable her. Let’s mix in some fashion, a husband who bails, a tragic ticket on the Titanic, and we’ve got an amazing story to dig into!

This story is such a win for historical fiction fans. The descriptive writing immediately draws you into the story, and the characters will keep you invested through the last page!

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The Decadents by M.C. Schmidt

White library with lots of stairs and "Contemporary" text
Book Genre Block - "General Fiction" Person holding book

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Well, this book was a crazy and fun time! I enjoyed the dark setting with the outlandish situations, and I didn’t really want to walk away from it!

So, in this story, we’ve got Phil Ochs. His family is all over the place. His son is terrorizing him through a poetry attack, his wife is addicted to the As Seen On TV toys (but seriously who isn’t?), and now, a competitive enemy is snagging his employees from his fast food chains! What could be next? Well, Phil shares a name with a very liberal, very famous singer…

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Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley

White library with lots of stairs and "Contemporary" text
Book Genre Block - "Emotional" Person standing between bright earth and desolate earth

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Emotional. Timely. Racial Injustice. Broken Systems. Family. Heartbreaking.

This beautifully written book brings a timely, emotional story to its readers. I could not stop reading this one.

This story follows a young girl whose family has been torn apart one piece at a time. Her father to prison, and then to disease and death, her mother locked away, and now her brother has stopped helping support the two of them. The burden of paying rent and the bills falls to Kiara. It’s not easy for a 17-year-old to find and hold a job though, and time after time she is told no. When one night she is mistaken as a prostitute, and she accepts payment, she unknowingly steps into a life and scandal she can’t back away from.

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The Unplanned Life of Josie Hale by Stephanie Eding

White library with lots of stairs and "Contemporary" text
Book Genre Tag "Romance": A couple kissing

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Well, I just loved this adorable book! The characters are so fantastic, and they just steal the show!

Josie is a wonderful person, and she’s been crapped on a bit with life, but when she bumps into two friends from high school, her life takes on a new trajectory. Pregnant, getting divorced, and being nudged out of her parents’ house, an offer to move in with Ben and Kevin. These two goofballs make life so fun. I loved having them in the story. They are well-meaning, big hearted, and loving friends, and watching their relationship with Josie grow was wonderful.

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The Homewreckers by Mary Kay Andrews

White library with lots of stairs and "Contemporary" text
White library with lots of stairs and "Contemporary" text

Rating: 4 out of 5.

This was such a fun mixture of romance, healing, moving forward, and…. murder! I loved how Andrews was able to weave all these things together to seamlessly create a beautiful story!

Hattie is a young widow and works with her father-in-law restoring old Savannah homes to their former glory. I really loved Hattie. She is grieving but is such a fun woman. Watching her heal and grow throughout this story felt like watching a good friend go through a transformation. The grief isn’t heavy, it’s been quite a few years since she lost her husband, so I still completely feel this is a beach read!

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Avery G. and the Scary End of School by Sivan Hong

"Childrens" Genre Block - 4 kids laying on stomachs looking at book
Book Genre "Learning" with "Learn" spelled in blocks

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I really love a book that helps children understand emotions they may feel or ones that others may feel, and this book does that beautifully!

This is the fourth book in the children’s series The Super Fun Day Books, and I have to recommend not only this book, but all of them. They each feature a child and a fear or emotion to understand and work through!

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The School for German Brides by Aimie K. Runyan

"Historical Fiction" genre card with glasses and book photo

Rating: 5 out of 5.

This World War II story brings the lives of three women together in unexpected ways. It was beautifully written with surprising moments and wonderful characters, and I loved it!

Taking place in the early days of WWII, we are introduced to three women, but hear the story through the perspectives of two of them. These three women’s struggles are lived separately but come crashing together as the war intensifies.

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