Title: Watches and Warnings Author: Ryan Wolf Genre: Young Adult, Verse Novel, Contemporary Trigger Warning: Mentioned Drug Abuse, Character Death, Description of Corpse Rating: 5 stars Release Date: August 1, 2019 Synopsis Hi-lo. Sixteen-year-old Philip is the son of two Evangelical youth pastors. He also secretly helps his older brother pay for his heroin addiction. When a massive tornado touches down in their small town, Philip’s family becomes heavily involved in the post-disaster cleanup as Philip struggles with the return of his detoxing brother. With his life swept into sudden chaos, Philip grapples with questions that cut him to the core. Review A special thank you to Netgalley and West 44 Books for providing a free advance digital copy in exchange for a honest review. This is going to be the book I point o...

Title: Beau and Bett Author: Kathryn Berla Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance Trigger Warning: Past sexual assault, Bullying Rating: 4 stars Synopsis After Beau LeFrancois's mother wrecks Bett Diaz’s luxury SUV, his family faces an impossibly large bill—and no car insurance to help pay it. To pay off the debt, Beau spends his weekends working at the Diaz Ranch. Beau’s prepared to work, but he’s definitely not prepared for the infamous temper of Bett Diaz—also known as "The Beast" at school. As Beau learns the secrets behind Bett’s tough exterior, he finds himself falling for her. That is, until he catches Bett in a lie. A contemporary twist on a classic fairy tale, Beau and Bett is a timely story of family, friendship, and the power of speaking out and standing up for yourself. Review ...

I started reviewing eARCs through Netgalley at the end of last year, and I hate that I don't love all of them. There are so many out there that I do love (and I've requested way too many) that I just don't have the time or energy to read books that I'm not enjoying. I definitely want to give books a chance, but I'm not going to force myself to keep reading something that I don't like. That being said, I understand that sometimes what I dislike about a book may make others want to read the book all the more. Thus far in 2019, there have been 3 ARCs that I ultimately decided to dnf. Here are my reviews, so you can decide for yourself if this recent release is something that should go on your tbr. Castle of Lies by Kiersi Burkhart I tried so hard to like and finish this book, but I just couldn't. The pov voices sound like the same, narration is far too repetitive. I kept on giving this book chances but nothing was able to entice me to keep reading. I h...

Title: Something Like Gravity Author: Amber Smith Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, LGBTQ Trigger Warning: Bullying, Homophobia, Transphobia, Misgendering, Language/Slurs, Mentions of Violence Rating: 3 stars Release Date: June 18 Synopsis For fans of Love, Simon and Eleanor & Park, a romantic and sweet novel about a transgender boy who falls in love for the first time—and how first love changes us all—from New York Times bestselling author Amber Smith. Chris and Maia aren’t off to a great start. A near-fatal car accident first brings them together, and their next encounters don’t fare much better. Chris’s good intentions backfire. Maia’s temper gets the best of her. But they’re neighbors, at least for the summer, and despite their best efforts, they just can’t seem to stay away from each other. The path forward isn’t easy. Chris has come out ...

Title:   All the Worlds Between Us Author: Morgan Lee Miller Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, LGBTQ Trigger Warning: Bullying, Homophobia, Language/Slurs, Sexual Scenarios Rating: 3 stars Release Date: May 14, 2019 Synopsis Seventeen-year-old Quinn Hughes needs to be in top shape if she wants to medal at the swimming World Championships in ten months. This means no easy distractions, no matter how pretty they are. She’s still piecing her confidence back together after not qualifying for the Olympics, her relationship with her twin brother is getting worse the more he hangs out with the popular kids, and then Kennedy Reed suddenly squeezes herself back into Quinn’s life. The girl who was her best friend. The girl who gave Quinn her first kiss. The girl who hasn’t spoken to her since. Soon, Quinn finds herself juggling her new girlfriend, training for the biggest competition of her...