The Romance Bookie

  Hey Everyone! A new year is once again upon us!  I don't know about you, but I feel like 2021 just zoomed by!  Maybe it's because my 15 month old has just grown like a weed, and I just want to 😭 every time I go through photos on my phone and see the changes happening everyday.   2022 is upon us!  Well, almost.  Which means a new year of possibilities, goals, family moments, and so many positive things hopefully.   I honestly can't complain about 2021, not when my family and I have experienced so much worse in the past.  I know this is a weird time we are living in, but I am just so grateful to be here, with my husband and our son, and our grumpy dog.   Some highlights of 2021 were: (these may not be in order) 1.  We went to the reopening of Disneyland.  After 412 days of closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Disneyland was able to reopen and my family and I got to go.  It was such an incredible experience, being there, and experiencing such a historic event.   2. I got t

 Hey! This might be my last book of 2021!  I'm really glad I was able to get this one in, because I meant to finish it before Christmas, but just didn't have the chance, because I was more listening to books than reading physical copies, but I did it! This review is for My True Love Gave to Me , an anthology of 12 Holiday stories written by 12 different Young Adult authors; ranging from contemporary romances to fantasy.   From Goodreads: If you love holiday stories, holiday movies, made-for-TV-holiday specials, holiday episodes of your favorite sitcoms and, especially, if you love holiday anthologies, you're going to fall in love with My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories  by twelve bestselling young adult writers, edited by international bestselling author Stephanie Perkins. Whether you enjoy celebrating Christmas or Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, or New Year's there's something here for everyone. So curl up by the fireplace and get cozy. You have twelve reas

Hey Everyone! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas (if you celebrate) with loved ones.  Ours was very nice, one of the nicest we've had in a long time.  Our son is old enough now to get more into it, than he did last year (he was only 3 months old last year), and it was such a joy to see him get excited to open presents, enjoy food, listening to Christmas music, and spending time with family.   I ended up reading a quick read the other night, and thought I'd share my thoughts on it. Pumpkin Heads  by Rainbow Rowell, and illustrated by Faith Erin Hicks. From Goodreads: Deja and Josiah are seasonal best friends. Every autumn, all through high school, they've worked together at the best pumpkin patch in the whole wide world.  (Not many people know that the best pumpkin patch in the whole wide world is in Omaha, Nebraska, but it definitely is.) They say good-bye every Halloween, and they're reunited every September 1. But this Halloween is different --Josiah and Deja are fi

 Merry Christmas Eve! I can't believe Christmas is here once again! I'm so looking forward to bringing my son downstairs tomorrow morning, and having him see our Christmas Tree all lit up with lots of goodies for him underneath, and then listening to Christmas music, and watching one of my favorite Christmas movies, Christmas Vacation!  I love this time of year, getting to cozy up with my husband on the couch, under lots of blankets, fuzzy socks on, warm PJs, and watching a movie while sip on our hot drinks.  💖 In the meantime, I do have a review for you! I just finished listening to the audiobook of If the Shoe Fits  by Julie Murphy! From Goodreads: After having just graduated with a degree in shoe design, and trying to get her feet on the ground, Cindy is working for her stepmother, who happens to be the executive producer of America's favorite reality show, Before Midnight .  When a spot on the show needs filling ASAP, Cindy volunteers, hoping it might help jump-start h

 Hey!  Finished another one!!! Not sure how many more I can in the eleven days we have left in 2021, but I am trying!  I want to read at least one more, and that's a library book I need to return asap.   I ended up listening to Majesty, the second American Royal book by Katharine McGee. I've been having so much fun listening to audiobooks while I work on my planner!  Especially now that I got my Always Fully Booked Planner from Little Inkling Designs! Isn't it gorgeous???!!!  I am having so much fun setting it up for 2022!   Anyway, on the my review! From Goodreads: Is American ready for its first queen? Power is intoxicating. Like first love, it can leave you breathless.  Princess Beatrice was born with it. Princess Samantha was born with less. Some, like Nina Gonzalez, are pulled into it. And a few will claw their way in. Ahem, we're looking at you Daphne Deighton. As America adjusts to the idea of a queen on the throne, Beatrice grapples with everything she lost when

 Hey! Another review coming your way! This was a quick holiday read that I listened to on Audiobook over the last few days.   I had the opportunity back in the day to read an ARC of the first book in this series, and absolutely loved it!  Since then  Dash & Lily's Book of Dares  has been released as Netflix movie (which is also super cute), and two more books have been added to the story; something I didn't learn about until last year, when I watched the movie.  Since then, I've wanted to read the next books, because I truly loved the first book.  It was such a fun read, that took you through the streets of my favorite setting in a book, New York City.  It was a story of finding oneself, finding love, friendship, family, and so much more.   When I found out that my local library had an online audiobook library I ended up finding, The Twelve Days of Dash & Lily , and since it's the holiday season, I thought what a great time to finally read this book off my TBR l

 Hey Everyone! I am really excited to write this review.  I didn't think I would I would be able to read another book this year, let alone two, and then also have one of them be a favorite of the year!  I am on a roll this month and trying to keep the momentum going! For my review today I have an audiobook I got to listen to, for American Royals  by Katharine McGee. From Goodreads: What if America had a royal family? When America won the Revolutionary War, its people offered General George Washington a crown. Two and a half centuries later, the House of Washington still sits on the throne. As Princess Beatrice gets closer to becoming America's first queen regnant, the duty she has embraced her entire life suddenly feels stifling. Nobody cares about the spare except when she's breaking the rules, so Princess Samantha doesn't care much about anything, either...except the one boy who is distinctly off-limits to her. And then there Samantha's twin, Prince Jefferson. If

 Hey! So last book from my weekend reading binge, for now! This is for the novel I actually read this weekend.  Truly Truly enjoyed this one! My review for To Be Honest by Maggie Ann Martin! From Goodreads: Savannah is dreading being home alone with her overbearing mother after her sister goes off to college.  But if she can just get through senior year, she'll be able to escape to college, too.  What she doesn't count on is that her mother's obsession with weight has only grown deeper since her appearance on an extreme weight-loss show, and now Savvy's mom is pressuring her even harder to be constantly mindful of what she eats. Between her mom's diet-helicoptering, missing her sister, and worrying about her collegiate future, Savvy has enough to worry about.  And then she meets George, the cute new kid at school who has insecurities of his own. As Savvy and George grow closer, they help each other discover how to live in the moment and enjoy the here and now before

 Hey! Another review from my weekend binge reading! This one is another graphic novel titled, This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki and illustrated by Jillian Tamaki. From Goodreads:   Every summer, Rose goes with her mom and dad to a lake house in Awago Beach.  It's their getaway, their refuge.  Rosie's friend Windy is always there, too, like the little sister she never had. But this summer is different. Rose's mom and dad won't stop fighting, and when Rose and Windy seek a distraction from the drama, they find themselves with a whole new set of problems. It's a summer of secrets and sorrow and growing up, and it's a good thing Rose and Windy have each other. In This One Summer  two stellar creators redefine the teen graphic novel. Cousins Mariko and Jillian Tamaki, the team behind Skim , have collaborated on this gorgeous, heartbreaking, and ultimately hopeful story about a girl on the cusp of her teen age-- a story of renewal and revelation.  My Thoughts:  I don&#

 Hey Everyone! My husband and I recently moved our little family to a new town, and last week we decided to go for a walk together and check out our new (to us) local library.  It was such a great experience, because for one, I haven't set foot in a library in quite some time (both due to Covid, but also because my old local library wasn't really all that great), and two because we have such a great library now.  They have a beautiful children's section, decked out with a giant pirate's ship, columns holding up the building that look like giant books, and a wonderfully stocked Young Adult section.   They had an ample supply of graphic novels, and because of my newly found obsession this year, on graphic novels, I found myself filling the stroller with those initially.  I ended up with four graphic novels, and two regular chapter novels.  To which my husband said, "That's probably enough."  Well, challenge was accepted apparently, because I finished all fou

 Hey! Today I have a review for a book that I have been waiting a LONG time to read!  It was finally released officially last year so I have the chance for a while to read it, but didn't get to it until now.  I ended up getting the audiobook of it, because I have recently really gotten into planning, and decorating said planners, and all things to do with planners (calendars, stickers, Washi tape, Happy Planner accessories, etc).  It's become a serious addiction, but a nice welcome to getting my head out this crazy world we live in.  Anyway, my head hasn't been in picking up a physical book in a while, so I figured let's try an audiobook, instead of watching yet another random movie from Netflix.  Anyway, let's get to it...the review for Midnight Sun , a review over a decade in the making. From Goodreads: When Edward Cullen and Bella Swan met in Twilight , an iconic love story was born.  But until now, fans have heard only Bella's side of the story.  At last, re

 Hey! I know it's been a while!  It's been super busy in my house.  We will be moving this coming Monday, and some HUGE changes coming to my family.  My husband and I are very excited, but of course with moving comes stress.  It's taken us a few months to get ready, and my head just hasn't been there for reading.   But anyway, I FINALLY finished a book yesterday!  This one caught my eye this summer during a rare solo trip to Barnes and Noble, where I actually had time to browse at my leisure.   So here's my review for Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade! From Goodreads: Olivia Dade bursts onto the scene in this delightfully fun romantic comedy set in the world of fan fiction, in which a devoted fan goes on an unexpected date with her celebrity crush, whose secretly posting fan fiction of his own. Marcus Caster-Rupp has a secret. While the world knows him as Aeneas, the star of the biggest show on TV, Gods of the Gates,  he's known to fan fiction readers as Book!AeneasW

 Hey Everyone! I finally managed to finish a book!  A lot has been going on, so I haven't had the time or the head to really get into reading recently.  But I found the manga version of Rainbow Rowell's novel Fangirl  at Barnes and Noble the other day, and had to pick it up.  I seem to really be into YA Manga Adaptations this year! Anyway, I finished it today! From Goodreads: The manga adaptation of the beloved novel by #1 Bestselling author Rainbow Rowell!  Cath is a Simon Snow fan. Okay, everybody is a Simon Snow fan, but for Cath, being a fan is her life. Cath's sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath just can't let it go. Now that they're in college, Cath must decide if she's ready to start living her own life.  But does she even want to if it means leaving Simon Snow behind? Cath doesn't need friends IRL. She has her twin sister, Wren, and she's a popular fanfic writer in the Simon Snow community with thousands of fans online. But now tha

 Hello Everyone! It's been a minute! I have not been able to read much lately, but finally finished a book!  July was not a good reading month for me, hopefully this month will be a bit better!   I ended up finally finishing Tokyo Ever After  by Emiko Jean yesterday! From Goodreads: Izumi Tanaka has never really felt like she fit in -- it isn't easy being Japanese American in her small, mostly white, Northern California town.  Raised by a single mother, it's always been Izumi --or Izzy, because "It's easier this way" -- and her mom against the world.  But then Izzy discovers a clue to her previously unknown father's identity... and he's none other than the Crown Prince of Japan. Which means outspoken, irreverent Izzy is literally a princess. In a whirlwind, Izzy travels to Japan to meet the father she never knew and discover the county she always dreamed of.  But being a princess isn't all ball gowns and tiaras. There are conniving cousins, a hungr

 Hey! I finally finished an actual novel this month!  It's been a rather odd month.  I'm feeling off at the moment, can't really explain it, but my head has been in the clouds so to say.   But anyway, finished an actual book in July, instead of another graphic novel. The Girl Least Likely by Katy Loutzenhiser was released on June 29th, so a new release! From Goodreads: To All the Boys meets The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (with a dash of Dumplin' ) in this funny, romantic, and heartfelt coming of age story about a teen stand-up comic learning how to be her truest self, from the author of If You're Out There . Gretchen has always been more of a "least likely" than a "most likely" kind of girl. So how does she somehow find herself living out every trope from her favorite rom-coms...? The Best Friend Crush: Why is it suddenly so hard to act normal around her childhood BFF, Samuel? Must be time for a -- Makeover(!): Black leather pants and some red lipstic

 Hey! So I'm going through a little bit of a reading slump to start off my July, but instead of putting the pressure on me to read something specific, I decided to finally read something I've been wanting to read for a long time! The Mortal Instruments Graphic Novels!  I understand why Graphic novels are pricier, they take a lot of work to make, and a lot of someone's valuable time!  But that doesn't make it easier to shell out $15 for a book that will take me less than 45 minutes to read.   But I finally did it!  I bought all four that are available so far for my birthday!   I turned 30 on the second.   THIRTY. I still can't believe I'm 30.  That is so unbelievably crazy to me.  I started The Romance Bookie when I was 19.  Practically a baby.  And now I'm a full fledged married-with-a-child-and-mortgage adult.  Crazy! Anyway on to my review! From Goodreads: The Mortal Instruments Graphic Novel #1 The first installment of Cassandra Clare's bestselling ur

 Hello! It was close, but I completed my reading goal for June!  I read all the books, but one, from my TBR pile, and the one that I didn't, is because it became a Did-Not-Finish for now.   I'm really proud of myself, because I haven't completed a reading goal in years!  For my review today, I'll be talking about The Soulmate Equation  by Christina Lauren! It is their latest release! :) From Goodreads: Single mom Jess Davis is a data and statistics wizard, but no amount of number crunching can convince her to step back into the dating world.  Raised by her grandparents -- who now help raise her seven-year-old daughter, Juno -- Jess has been left behind too often to feel comfortable letting anyone in.  After all, her father's never been around, her hard-partying mother disappeared when she was six, and her ex decided he wasn't "father material" before Juno was even born. Jess holds her loved ones close, but working constantly to stay afloat is hard...an