Holy fuck, this book was savage! Hats off to RF Kuang for writing something so daring. It was SO frikkin good!! And here I somehow thought I was gonna hate it. Love when I’m wrong.
Just with any book, it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea and I think many will be very divided on this one. But I do feel like readers will be able to connect with this story on so many different levels, as it revolves around white privilege & reverse racism, greed, the lengths you would go to for success, the consequences, politics in the publishing world and ultimately what it’s like to live in someone else’s shadow.
June definitely struck a nerve. Like I seriously wanted to throat punch her every single time she tried to justify why she did what she did, and made me wanna throw my book against the wall. Don’t worry. My book was not harmed! But I absolutely loved every moment of hating her! I know. I’m weird.
Athena was no angel herself. She was a pretentious bitch without even knowing it. And the relationship between the two characters was that of frenemies, which is my favourite sort of fictional drama/relationship.
I’ll be honest. I tried to read Babel last year, but was unsuccessful in liking it. It just wasn’t my vibe, but I thought her writing was beautiful and was willing to try something else of hers. Really happy I was such a sucker for the cover and title of this one.
That ending!!! Still not sure how I feel about it. You get the closure you need, but it SO did not go the way I wanted. I was out for blood! So I wanted things to go very differently. Which was probably done on purpose to invoke a WTF?!! Sort of reaction. 👏👏 well played.
Highly recommend this one.
Authors June Hayward and Athena Liu were supposed to be twin rising stars. But Athena’s a literary darling. June Hayward is literally nobody. Who wants stories about basic white girls, June thinks.
So when June witnesses Athena’s death in a freak accident, she acts on impulse: she steals Athena’s just-finished masterpiece, an experimental novel about the unsung contributions of Chinese laborers during World War I.
So what if June edits Athena’s novel and sends it to her agent as her own work? So what if she lets her new publisher rebrand her as Juniper Song—complete with an ambiguously ethnic author photo? Doesn’t this piece of history deserve to be told, whoever the teller? That’s what June claims, and the New York Times bestseller list seems to agree.
But June can’t get away from Athena’s shadow, and emerging evidence threatens to bring June’s (stolen) success down around her. As June races to protect her secret, she discovers exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves.
Want a first glance at The Boyfriend Candidate by Ashley Winstead? Excerpt down below.
Genre: Romance
PUB DATE: May 9, 2023
A laugh-out-loud rom-com about learning to embrace living outside your comfort zone.
As a shy school librarian, Alexis Stone is comfortable keeping out of the spotlight. But when she’s dumped for being too meek—in bed!—she decides she needs to change. And what better way to kick-start her new more adventurous life than with her first one-night stand?
Enter Logan, the gorgeous, foul-mouthed stranger she meets at a hotel bar. Audacious and filterless, Logan is Alexis’s opposite—and boy, do opposites attract! Just as she’s about to fulfill her hookup wish, the hotel catches fire in a freak lightning storm. In their rush to escape, Logan is discovered carrying her into the street, where people are waiting with cameras. Cameras Logan promptly—and shockingly—flees.
Alexis is bewildered until suddenly pictures of her and Logan escaping the fire are all over the internet. Turns out Logan is none other than Logan Arthur, the hotshot candidate challenging the Texas governor’s seat. The salacious scandal is poised to sink his career—and jeopardize Alexis’s job—until a solution is proposed: he and Alexis could pretend to be in a relationship until election day…in two months. What could possibly go wrong?
Alexis Stone Is Not a Mouse
I’LL SAY ONE NICE THING ABOUT MY EX CHRIS TUTTLE: the man was the entire reason I was here, standing at the entrance to the sultry Fleur de Lis hotel bar, wearing a red dress so plunging I kept it in the back of my closet for fear of scandalizing visitors, on the verge of reinventing myself. The memory of Chris and the still-fresh psychic wounds he’d left me were like a marching drum line urging me forward as I’d left my apartment, Ubered downtown to the Fleur de Lis, and cut a determined path across the lobby to the bar, a place with a reputation as Austin’s Grand Central Station of hookups. Unfortunately, now that I was standing at the entrance, the sight of all the laughing, drinking, dazzling people—dressed to the nines like me, but looking much more at ease about it—had me momentarily cowed.
I thought back to what Chris said the day I discovered he was cheating on me (for the second time): “I do have needs you can’t satisfy. You should really learn to be more adventurous in bed, Lex. You’re like a timid little mouse. It can get really boring.” Remembering those words, I straightened my shoulders, took a deep breath, and stepped inside. I was not a boring mouse—or at least I wouldn’t be one anymore. Starting tonight, I was going to be a new version of Alexis Stone: as bold and adventurous as my flaming-red dress.
I tried to soak in the beauty of the bar while beelining through the crowded tables, anxious to leave the peculiar spotlight of being the only person standing among a bunch of cozy, seated people. But then I realized new Alexis wouldn’t care if everyone’s eyes flitted to her as she walked across a room—in fact, new Alexis would welcome it, because she’d spent nearly an hour straightening and then recurling her hair into movie star ringlets, and maybe that effort should be appreciated. I forced myself to slow and look up at the bar’s gorgeous glass ceiling, shaded a twinkly blue thanks to the night sky. Real palm trees lined the circular perimeter, fronds reaching toward the stars. They made the bar look like a very urbane urban jungle, which actually wasn’t too far off the mark.
My older sister, Lee, and her friends liked to roll their eyes at the entire downtown bar scene, calling places like the Fleur de Lis “meat markets where you go to spend thirty-five bucks on a martini while beating back horny yuppies” (Lee’s words). They preferred the hipster bars on the east side of Austin, where the clientele was cooler yet dirtier (my words). I thought the Fleur de Lis was romantic, so it made sense to come here tonight for my critical but one hundred percent private mission: I, Alexis Rosalie Stone, was going to have my first one-night stand. I was going to sleep with a man with no strings attached, no stakes or expectations: just one night to do whatever felt right. Alexis the unadventurous bore? I’d killed her and buried the body.
The gleaming brass bar was crowded, but I managed to slip a shoulder between two men and catch the bartender’s attention. “Vodka martini,” I said, feeling a sudden rebellious compulsion to do anything that would raise my sister’s eyebrows. By the time my drink came, I’d completed a full three-sixty swivel in my barstool to survey the sea of men for potential candidates. How exactly did one negotiate a one-night stand? Did you lead with it in conversation so all your cards were on the table (“Hi, I’m Alexis; you might be interested to know I’m trolling for a stranger to ravish me”), or did you hold back, let your intention slip out at just the right moment (“I see you’re ordering an Uber home; could I interest you in going splitsies back to my place for a wild night of sex”)?
I braced a hand on the bar, taking a fortifying sip of my martini. Even if I made a complete fool of myself tonight—even if I was roundly rejected by every man I spoke to—coming here alone at least meant Lee and her crew couldn’t witness my flop, then use it to skewer me for all eternity like the jackals they were.
A whistle cut through the bar’s ambient noise, followed by a loud, “Now that’s a dress.” Out of nowhere, a man appeared and sidled up beside me. One look at him and my mind blurted forehead! Probably because his was shiny as a disco ball, framed by waggling eyebrows, and tilted all the way to the side. The next second, I realized his head was turned that way so he could get a clear view down my dress.
“Thanks.” I placed a protective hand over my chest and swiveled in the opposite direction. Hoping my body language would signal my disinterest, I took another sip of my martini and studied the empty corner of the room like it was fascinating.
No such luck. “I’m Carter Randall,” the man said, jutting out his hand. “What’s your name?”
My deep desire for him to go away warred with my silly lifelong compulsion to be nice. “Um…” I twisted back to shake his oddly moist hand and searched for inspiration. My gaze snagged, as his clearly had, on my dress. “Ruby…” The next word came unbidden. “Dangerfield. Ruby Dangerfield.” Curse my polite hardwiring that had me sitting here inventing a new name instead of dismissing him with something cool and clipped like, “Not interested.”
Carter gave my hand a little squeeze. He was twice my age, probably well into his fifties. Well-dressed, with a massive gold watch on his wrist, and—now that I squinted—a strangely sweaty face, like he’d just done a lap. Was he on party drugs? He used his sleeve to mop his forehead and I pulled my hand away, resisting the urge to wipe it on my dress. Carter’s eyes drifted down the length of my body yet again. “Well, Ms. Ruby. Can I buy you a drink? A stiff one?” He grinned.
“Oh,” I said. “That’s very nice. But—um—no thank you.” Inside, I burned with the fire of a thousand suns. Saying no to anyone, even a stranger, stretched the limits of my bravery.
“Aw, come on.” Carter leaned in closer and I scooted back so fast I nearly tipped over. “Look at you, sitting there in that dress. Clearly fishing for attention. Well, you caught me. Let’s get you drunk and see what happens.”
Apparently, I was going to get a lesson in how not to proposition someone tonight. But my cheeks were burning, because in a small way Carter was right—I had come here to put myself on display and find someone, just very much not him. Be the new Alexis, I urged myself. Stop prioritizing this stranger’s feelings and tell him to leave you alone. But I couldn’t—at the slightest provocation, old, sad, doormat Alexis had quickly jumped back in charge.
“I’m not trying to be rude,” I said carefully, feeling my heartbeat spike. “I would just like to be by myself tonight.” Well, shoot. Now that I’d committed to that, would I have to leave the bar so Carter didn’t catch me talking to anyone else later? My palms started sweating.
“One drink—” he started.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” came a voice, tinged with an accent I couldn’t place—British mixed with Texas panhandle? I nearly knocked over my martini. “She said no, mate. Get it through your thick skull and leave the poor woman alone.”
Carter spun to get a look at the man who’d interrupted us, and without his body blocking the view, I got a clear line, too. My stomach flipped over and released a conservatory’s worth of butterflies. Even wearing a look of contempt, the man on the other side of Carter was stop-in-your-tracks, tongue-tyingly handsome. He was around my age, maybe a little older—he certainly radiated an older person’s authority—with a head of dark curls cut close and tight, brown eyes that were currently blazing, and thick eyebrows arched, waiting to see how Carter would respond. He had on a dark suit like most of the other men in the room, but he’d taken off his jacket and hung it on the back of his seat. He was sitting hunched over his drink in a white dress shirt with the sleeves messily rolled back, wearing a dark slim watch that was the antithesis of Carter’s flashy gold one. The wrinkles in his suit, creases under his eyes, and day-old stubble gave the impression of a weary business executive after a long, hard day at work. His eyes flitted to mine for the briefest moment before returning to Carter, but the charge that ran down my spine was enough to root me to my chair.
Carter shifted his weight. Apparently, he was going to play the tough guy. “Why don’t you mind your business, pal?”
The beautiful, tired man rolled his eyes. “Oh, good. You’re one of those.” He got to his feet so fast his barstool made a screeching sound as it scraped across the floor. “Then let’s go ahead and get this over with, because I’ve had a shit day and I would like to kick your ass and get back home at a reasonable hour. So come on. You’re the one campaigning for Most Punchable Man in the Bar. Let’s have your prize.” The dark-haired man spoke calmly and quickly in his hard-to-place accent, like he invited people to get their asses kicked at least once a day. He made a little “come on” gesture that conveyed utter boredom.
People around us had stopped talking to watch. The extra attention only made me feel like I was going to melt into the floor at twice the speed. But if I had no idea how to respond to this turn of events—what to say or even where to put my hands—Carter was even more clueless. I could see his eyes dancing, doing quick calculations. On the one hand, Carter was thicker around the middle than the dark-haired man. On the other, the dark-haired man had revealed himself to be tall and well-built when he stood up.
“Nah, man.” Carter put his hands up. “We’ve got no problems. Just making new friends like you’re supposed to at a bar, for Christ’s sake.”
“Great,” said the dark-haired man. “Then kindly fuck off as suggested.”
Carter didn’t wait to be told a third time. As he hightailed away from the bar, a woman nearby muttered, “What a douche.” And with that judgment rendered, the room dialed back to a normal volume.
“Thank you,” I said to the dark-haired man. He waved me off with a grunt and settled back in his barstool, leaning comfortably over his drink, apparently hoping to resume his night like nothing had happened.
I stared at him. The adrenaline was draining out of my system, which left me feeling hollow. I should have been the one to tell Carter to fuck off. I should have had the guts, but instead I’d tiptoed around and this man had to step in and do it for me. How humiliating. It hit me like a ton of bricks: from the moment Carter arrived, I’d been unequivocally mousy. Exactly like Chris said.
Thanks so much for suggesting we read this Gigi! This book is super popular in my circles, so I was super excited to give it a try even though I haven’t read many books categorized as cozy. What did you think overall. hit or miss?
Gigi
I don’t read a lot of cozies either! I actually went into this one blind. All I saw was the cute ass cover and thought the title sounded fun. I thought it was going to be like Shrek but for adults.
Overall, I wouldn’t call it a complete miss, because it was cute with fun characters and cozy vibes. How about you? I think we both felt very similar.
Jonny
Okay, glad I’m not the only one. Low stakes isn’t usually my thing, but the suggested romance of that cover and the fantasy element really pulled me in. I mean, an orc running a coffee shop when no one knows what it is? It’s a genius concept.
Overall I was a little bit disappointed, but I’m not mad about it by any means. It definitely filled all the boxes on the cuteness factor. The characters were fun, but I wanted it to be more dangerous and riveting.
Gigi
I completely agree! It felt more like no stakes for me. Nothing really happened..until the end. And even then, it wasn’t much.
As for the romance. I actually didn’t get that feeling and thought the added romance was a bit of an afterthought and unnecessary. It was fine being just a story of unlikely friendships.
I’m glad we read it together though. Not sure I would have read it till the end if we didn’t. 😜
Jonny
Totally! The stakes were not high enough for me at all. There was a good build up with Viv and what she wanted to do in life. I even liked the HGTV-fantasy kind of theme for a while, but it went on for so long I wondered when any conflict was going to happen. I think it was about the halfway point where anything potentially ominous seemed to be happening.
Yeah, the romance ended up being really lackluster. It was too far and between to really count in this story. Either make it more important to the story or cut it out, I say.
Aww, I’m glad too! It’s always fun reading books with you. Who was your favorite character?
Gigi
I loved Cal & Amity! How about you?
Jonny
Oh, I was actually gonna bring something up. Did you find it ironic that Cal’s full name was Calamity and they’re names spell his together? Kinda made me giggle.
Cal’s personality was great and I loved Amity too. Who doesn’t love a giant catlike creature? 😍😍😍
I also liked Viv’s longtime friend Galina and how mama bear she was in moments.
Should we tell them the cool ideas we had to make this book better? We came up with some cool ones.
Gigi
Lmao. I thought that was funny too! Calamity & Amity. I actually thought amity was a weird name for the cat.
I thought Galina was sweet. Loved her toughness with the dagger and all! 😂 I loved Roon too. He seemed like a great ride or die 💖
Sure..why not?!
I think that madrigal scene could have played out so differently.
Jonny
Maybe the weird Calamity name thing was done on purpose to be cute or something haha.
Oh, Roon! Yeah, Viv had some good friends.
Okay, here’s my alteration for the story:
The coffee shop is just opening for the morning. Viv and Tandri are tending to the first customers and she takes a sip of her morning coffee when screams come from outside.
“Eight hells, what now?” she mumbles.
Then she races outside mug in hand and there’s a monster attacking the city! She’d take her old sword off it’s plaque and slay some monsters for Thune!
That was my favorite idea. I agree that the Madrigal stuff could’ve been more intense and difficult.
Take us there, Baldree! I heard the prequel that’s coming may be more adventure-y so that may fall a bit more into what we prefer.
Gigi
Yes! I was hoping for more of a story where Viv is the town’s heroine and the people there no longer have to be afraid of her.
Hopefully the next book IS more adventure-y with higher stakes!
Jonny
Totally, I wanted to see her hero side but we never really got that, not truly. But I did love the idea we came up with, especially because there’s more potential and her friends from her former adventures could step in whenever she gets overwhelmed with her double life to help kill the monsters.
From what I skimmed at the end of the first book (there was a preview), it did seem a lot more adventure-y, but I guess we’ll just have to see!
Gigi
No spoilers, but I did like the end and little glimpse of what’s to come. I hope it’ll be a little more action in the next one. 💖
Can’t wait till our next buddy read pick! I’m gonna be diving into my first Jim butcher. Have you read anything by him?
Jonny
Oh, I’ve heard of him. That’s the guy that wrote that super famous series The Dresden Files. I haven’t had the pleasure of reading his works yet, but it’s definitely on my list. Which one are you gonna try of his?
Gigi
I bought book 1. Always thought it was a western. But after looking carefully and reading the blurb, he’s a wizard. 😂
Jonny
Nice, I hope you love it to pieces! Hey no judgment here. I always assumed the Dresden Files was just another true crime thing until I looked into it in more detail in the past year or so. Also, he’s wearing a friggin cowboy hat on the cover of the first one! No wonder you got confused! lol
Gigi
Lmao. Exactly! I saw the cowboy hat and turned my nose at it.
Thanks. We’ll definitely have to do another buddy read when you’re ready!
Jonny
Haha, well we can’t be the only ones who thought the same thing. Readers, you tell us. Doesn’t this look like a western?
Glad you’re giving that one a chance, and I can’t wait to do this with you again bestie! 🤗
Gigi
🙌😘
Maybe we’ll read storm front (Jim butcher) together! 😜
Jonny
It could happen for sure!
That’s A Wrap!
Thanks for joining us on our buddy read and rant of Legends & Lattes! We had a lot of fun, and hope you did too! We will definitely be doing some more buddy reads in the future, so stay tuned!
QOTD: What’s the last mystery/thriller that had you guessing till the end?Genre: Mystery
If You Like:
– murder mysteries Poirot style
– multiple POV’s
* spoiler free review *
This was one of the rare times where I had no clue whodunnit. I had a feeling at about halfway through the book, but even then, I wasn’t entirely sure. 👏 Bloody brilliant! Everyone was sus the whole fucking way!! It was so much fun chatting about it with my reading buddies and trying to guess who it was. I had a whole list and everything!!
Not gonna lie. It was slow to start, and I almost DNF’d it. But it was my first time reading Clare Mackintosh and I wanted to give it a chance. I used the help of the audiobook (on Scribd) to get through the beginning and highly recommend going audio! The narrator was fantastic.
I’d also suggest it as a book club/group read. You’ll definitely wanna have someone to chat about it with while reading.
A husband’s disappearance links two couples in this twisty thriller from New York
Times bestselling author Mary Kubica
Jake Hayes is missing. This much is certain. At first, his wife, Nina, thinks he is blowing off steam at a friend’s house after their heated fight the night before. But then a day goes by. Two days. Five.
And Jake is still nowhere to be found.
Lily Scott, Nina’s friend and coworker, thinks she may have been the last to see Jake before he went missing. After Lily confesses everything to her husband, Christian, the two decide that nobody can
find out what happened leading up to Jake’s disappearance, especially not Nina. But Nina is out there looking for her husband, and she won’t stop until the truth is discovered.
Mary Kubica is a New York Times bestselling author of thrillers including The Good Girl, The Other Mrs., and Local Woman Missing. Her books have been translated into over thirty languages and have sold over two million copies worldwide. She’s been described as “a helluva storyteller” (Kirkus) and “a writer of vice-like control” (Chicago Tribune), and her novels have been praised as “hypnotic” (People) and “illuminating” (L.A. Times). She lives outside of Chicago with her husband and children.
If you haven’t, you should! It was so good. I’m obsessed!!
I’ve been kinda MIA in the blogosphere. Between Bookstagram (IG), booktok (Tik Tok) & now bookhive (Hive)..I’ve been seriously neglecting the blogging world.
But I’m baaack, and bringing you a list of reads if you loved Wednesday as much as I did. I admit, I haven’t read these yet. But from the blurbs & sneak peeks I’ve taken, I think they have a similar vibe.
QOTD: Do you always read the description before picking up a book? Or do you go in blind?
Gurrrllll..this was some dark shit.
I know it said ‘disturbing’ on the cover, but I honestly thought it was an exaggeration. Let me tell ya. It is not! Even with the content warnings, I was definitely not expecting or prepared for that. 🤯
Kiwi here, may not have liked this book. But I did! It was like crack. That’s all I’m going to say. Less is more. So if you haven’t read it yet, I suggest you go in the same way I did. Blind and only knowing the trigger warnings, which is listed right at the beginning of the book.
Have you read this one?
While in college in upstate New York, Shay Evans and her best friends met a captivating man who seduced them with a web of lies about the way the world works, bringing them under his thrall. By senior year, Shay and her friend Laurel were the only ones who managed to escape. Now, eight years later, Shay’s built a new life in a tiny Texas suburb. But when she hears the horrifying news of Laurel’s death—delivered, of all ways, by her favorite true-crime podcast crusader—she begins to suspect that the past she thought she buried is still very much alive, and the predators more dangerous than ever.
Recruiting the help of the podcast host, Shay goes back to the place she vowed never to return to in search of answers. As she follows the threads of her friend’s life, she’s pulled into a dark, seductive world, where wealth and privilege shield brutal philosophies that feel all too familiar. When Shay’s obsession with uncovering the truth becomes so consuming she can no longer separate her desire for justice from darker desires newly reawakened, she must confront the depths of her own complicity and conditioning. But in a world built for men to rule it—both inside the cult and outside of it—is justice even possible, and if so, how far will Shay go to get it?
“Forgiveness is boring, but revenge . . . now, that’s a real thrill! Betray me once, and I will bury you, one shovel of dirt at a time.”
Genre: Mystery, Domestic drama, Chick Lit
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
QOTD: Do you like reality shows? (I.e Real Housewives? The Bachelor, etc)
If you like:
⁃ drama
⁃ Big Little lies by Liane Moriarty
⁃ desperate housewives
⁃ Multiple POV’s
If the real housewives make you roll your eyes, then step away cause this ain’t for you. But if you’re shameless like I am and kinda live for the drama, then add this to your tbr right now!
The hype is real y’all!! I knew very little going into this one. And I suggest you do the same if you haven’t read it. All I knew was that there was a group of upper class women, think Desperate Housewives. And one of them is dead. But which one?
Call it good timing, but this was just the kind of drama and bingeable read I needed! I had guessed who was dead early on, but it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of it. If anything, it was fun trying to see if I was right and watching things fall apart.
Highly recommend this on audio for my audiobook lovers. I loved the cast of characters! Especially Olivia. Argh..she was such a fucking cunt. But I loved every moment of hating her. 😆 And Shannon..omg. She was such a hot mess, I really felt for her!
I’m not going to say much more, cause I believe less is more in this case.
I’m going to try and keep this as spoiler free as possible, and will start by saying this definitely won’t be for everyone. Which is why I listed the trigger warnings first.
This was my first Jennifer Hiller book, and a much heavier read than I was expecting. Not quite the popcorn thriller I was looking for. But that’s not to say I didn’t like it. Quite the opposite actually. It kept me turning the pages and finished it in 2 days! Which is a world record for me.
A lot of the story was centred around Joey’s traumatic childhood, which was hard to read at times. Monster doesn’t even cut it for how awful Ruby was! I wanted her to die a slow and painful death!!
I had things figured out pretty early on, but it was still an enjoyable read.
Will I be reading any more of her books? I’m not sure to be honest. This was heavy, and if her other books are anything like this one, then imma pass.
Have you read this yet? Which books of hers have you read?
QOTD: Would you spend the night at a haunted hotel for $1M where people have died?
If you like:
✔️YA
✔️Teen horror & slasher movies
✔️ ghosts
✔️multiple POV’s
This was a fun popcorn teen slasher, with ghosts!
You know those horror films where you scream at the screen for the character not to go there or do that?! Like OMG, why are you so stupid?! You’re gonna get killed kinda movies? Yeah..that’s what this was like!
I alternated between the ebook & audiobook.
What I liked:
⁃ the audiobook had 3 narrators
⁃ LOVED the setting of Hearst Hotel! That plus all the ghosts were the highlight of the story for me.
⁃ I enjoyed Chase & Chrissy’s POV. The teenage dialogue & banter made me giggle. If you can get past that, this can be a really enjoyable read.
⁃ I also liked Chrissy’s psychic abilities. I thought that was really cool the way it was described in the story.
⁃ While I saw who the killer was a mile away, I liked that reveal 👏👏
What I didn’t like:
⁃ There were a few times where I got confused between Emmaline & Kiki. Sometimes it was hard to differentiate who was talking, which is why I switched to audio.
All in all, I had a good time with this one! It moved really quickly and kept me entertained.
If you know what to expect from teen horror, you’ll like this like I did.
The Beachy Reader 