Genre: Young Adult

Blogger Wife Chat Review: Concrete Rose – Angie Thomas

Blogger Wife Chat Review: Concrete Rose – Angie Thomas

Oh my gosh, Brandee. I don’t know about you, but I absolutely adored Concrete Rose. I love that Thomas used AAVE both for the inner thoughts and for the dialogues, because it made the whole story stand out to me as very authentic and realistic. What did you think of that choice? I can’t imagine anything more perfect than AThomas giving us Concrete Rose. There was more story left after The Hate U Give – it just happened to be the story that came before. And I adored it as well. The fact that AThomas used AAVE for both the inner dialog as well as for the dialogues gave Mav’s story the richness it deserved. Very authentic and genuine. Another […]

Posted 12 August, 2021 by Linda @ (un)Conventional Bookworms in Reviews / 1 Comment
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Review ~ The Poet X ~ Elizabeth Acevedo

Review ~ The Poet X ~ Elizabeth Acevedo

This. Was. Amazing. I have no words. At least no words as eloquent or as powerful as EAcevedo or The Poet X. But here’s my attempt at a worthy review… The Poet X is the first novel I’ve read written entirely in verse. I wasn’t certain how I’d feel about it but I needn’t have been nervous. EAcevedo delivered Xiomara’s story with passion and eloquence. And I love every moment. Xiomara is 15. She’s the daughter of Dominican immigrants. She and her twin brother, Xavier or “Twin”, share a bedroom in the apartment where they live with their parents. Things they share besides a bedroom: difficult parents – their dad isn’t present and their mom dotes on “Twin” while being […]

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Review: The Gilded Wolves – Roshani Chokshi

Review: The Gilded Wolves – Roshani Chokshi

The Gilded Wolves is an intricate fantasy set in an alternate historical Paris, where Sèverin and his friends follow mysterious clues to try to salvage their future. The Gilded Wolves hit all the right spots for me! The fantasy elements really spoke to me, the forging being almost magical, in that some of the characters could infuse objects to do different things. There was also a mysterious order, where the matriarch or patriarch of a family had to wear a special ring that was more or less embedded to their finger. The Characters were well rounded – I loved Sèverin, Tristan, Enrique, Hypnos, Zofia and Laila all had their flaws, but they all had their strengths, too. The Gilded Wolves […]

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Berk Reviews ~ The Darkest Star ~ Jennifer L. Armentrout

Berk Reviews ~ The Darkest Star ~ Jennifer L. Armentrout

Every great once in awhile. one of my kids graciously agrees to review a book for the blog. Berk was bingeing on JLA over spring break and agreed to review for us. 🙂 **BERK’S REVIEW** Well I’m not actually sure if I reviewed the entire Lux Series by Jennifer L Armentrout for my mom. I think I only reviewed Obsidian and I’m pretty sure I didn’t give it the best review. I think it’s safe to say that I was incredibly wrong; little high school me didn’t care for a good romance plot :P. The Lux Series has easily become my favorite series (or at least a close second to Percy Jackson) and Ms. Armentrout continues the saga with the […]

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Blogger Wife Chat Review ~ Nowhere But Here ~ Katie McGarry

Blogger Wife Chat Review ~ Nowhere But Here ~ Katie McGarry

Wow! Just wow! Every time I read Katie McGarry I kick myself for not reading her more often. With Nowhere But Here , I’m doing it again. She delivered a riveting, angsty, romantic, and suspenseful story with a cast FULL of characters I now love. I look forward to continuing the series! I so agree, Brandee! I don’t think I’ve read any McGarry since RT in Atlanta, and that’s a long time ago. I absolutely loved Nowhere But Here. For all the reasons you mentioned.    I was immediately drawn in to this story! Between being instantly smitten with Emily and Oz and needing to have all the secrecy around Emily explained, I was loathe to put this one down. I was […]

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Review ~ American Royals ~ Katharine McGee #UnearthingaBookishBounty #COYER

Review ~ American Royals ~ Katharine McGee #UnearthingaBookishBounty #COYER

American Royals answers the question: What if George Washington has agreed to be King of America? An interesting premise, right? It certainly grabbed my attention and I was pleased with KMcGee’s execution of it. American Royals is told from four POVs. That of the Crown Princess, Beatrice, her younger sister, Princess Samantha, Sam’s best friend, Nina, and Prince Jefferson’s ex-girlfriend, Daphne. Through these POVs, we get a great understanding of American royal life. Beatrice shows up what it’s like to have been groomed your entire life to be the next monarch, never getting to make her own decisions. She’s going to be facing adversity as America’s first Queen and she’s struggling with what she’ll have to give up. Samantha demonstrates […]

Posted 17 February, 2020 by Brandee @ (un)Conventional Bookworms in Reviews / 3 Comments
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New Release Review & #Giveaway ~ Regretting You ~ Colleen Hoover

New Release Review & #Giveaway ~ Regretting You ~ Colleen Hoover

CHoover typically leaves me wanting to shout non-sensical exclamations in celebration of her immense storytelling abilities. Regretting You was no different. The story was deeply emotional and the characters so well defined. More than a week later and it’s still affecting me. CHoover did a phenomenal job at creating these characters. She doled out information in little bits at a time so that I understood and/or related to Morgan and Clara. As a mom of 3 college-aged kids, I could relate to all that Morgan was experiencing with parenting – the self-doubt, the frustration and anxiety, as well as the pride in her daughter. However, CHoover structured this story in a way that teens will also identify with. Clara, at almost 17, […]

Posted 10 December, 2019 by Brandee @ (un)Conventional Bookworms in Reviews / 6 Comments
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Blogger Wife Chat Release Day Review ~ Hidden Powers ~ Tara Lain @TaraLain @ViviannaIzzo

Blogger Wife Chat Release Day Review ~ Hidden Powers ~ Tara Lain @TaraLain @ViviannaIzzo

Hidden Powers wasn’t exactly was I was expecting since I didn’t realize it was YA/NA, but TLain exceeded any other expectations I had by taking on another facet of PNR – younger characters. The result was exciting, entertaining, and suspenseful! I didn’t realize that either, but I really loved that it was! Plus, it was nice to see some familiar characters from the Harker pack! First things first, wifey… This is the start of a new series yet it’s a spinoff of TLain’s Harker series. I haven’t read that series and while I did realize these characters had already been introduced but I never felt lost. And it certainly didn’t take away from my enjoyment of Hidden Powers. I believe […]

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New Release Review ~ When the Gods Forget ~ Kennedy Daly

New Release Review ~ When the Gods Forget ~ Kennedy Daly

In When the Gods Forget, my questions from the previous book weren’t really answered. In fact, I came away with even more questions. However, the story was just as action-packed and emotional as its predecessor. Highlights: Characters Teagan is brave, reckless, tenacious, strong, and loyal. I adored her even more in When the Gods Forget because she’s a survivor. She’s endured so much and yet she never gives up. She needed to do a bit of soul searching in this installment and even though she made a few rash decisions – which I can forgive due to her age – I was proud of her for being true to herself and doing the right thing. As for Damian, well he […]

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Review: Be the Girl – K.A. Tucker

Review: Be the Girl – K.A. Tucker

I knew Be the Girl would break my heart! Bullying is such an ugly word. And now – with all kinds of social media, those who are bullied must feel like it never stops. Be the Girl is such an important story! And I have to say, Tucker managed to tell it with so much tenderness and tact, it was beautiful  – even when it was ugly! Aria moved across Canada with her mother to live with her great-uncle. And it was clear from the beginning of the story that there was trouble in her past. Big trouble. Coupled with a father who had a second family – and who left Aria and her mother behind without a backwards glance. […]

Posted 15 January, 2019 by Linda @ (un)Conventional Bookworms in Reviews / 12 Comments
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