babybirdblogs's reviews
229 reviews

Phantasma by Kaylie Smith

dark mysterious slow-paced

4.75

 

Phantasma was such an important read for me and in my opinion is an 

EXCELLENT representation of what it's like to like with OCD. Beyond the story line, which was twisty and turny in it's own right, Ophelia's struggle with the shadow voice was on point on what it's like to have intrusive thoughts and the compulsions you have to complete to try and make the thoughts go away. Blackwell was... Blackwell and I'll be damned if he wasn't a character I didn't see coming. 

This also gave me Hunger games vibes and I loved the competition element. 

Bride by Ali Hazelwood

4.0

 

I had such a good time reading Ali Hazelwood's Bride. It made me laugh, had me in the edge of my seat trying to guess what would happen next, and had me super suspicious about nearly everyone. I'm excited for Mate to come out later this year and will be working to incorporate more of Hazelwood's titles into my reading rotation. 

Out of Sight by Cleo White

4.0

Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

5.0

Oh. Em. Gee. I think I’ve just met my new favorite book series! Half-Blood is my first interaction with Jennifer L. Armentrout’s works and I am a fan!

I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next as I was reading and there were some twists and turns that I never saw coming. I am so excited to read the rest of this series and I think it would be perfect for fans of the Hunger Games, Twilight, Insurgent, and Fourth wing.

Paper Doll: Notes from a Late Bloomer by Dylan Mulvaney

emotional funny hopeful inspiring fast-paced

5.0

I’ve been following Dylan Mulvaney since day 12 of Girlhood, and I didn’t think it was possible to love her more than I already did. But I’ll gladly admit I was wrong—Paper Doll: Notes from a Late Bloomer deepened my admiration, respect, and love for her in ways I didn’t expect.

Her honesty and vulnerability are truly moving. She doesn’t just celebrate her victories—she opens up about the darkest moments, the struggles that tested her, and the resilience that carried her through. That kind of openness takes courage, and it made me appreciate her even more.

Experiencing Paper Doll as an audiobook was a dream. With Dylan narrating, it felt like she was right there with me—like a best friend spilling the latest tea, sharing our worries, fangirling over musical theatre, and commiserating over man troubles.

By the end, I felt like I understood Dylan on a deeper level. Her kindness, her joy, and her unwavering spirit are so inspiring. She makes me want to be a better, kinder person—and I couldn’t be more grateful for that.

Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon

adventurous funny

4.0

Ice Planet Barbarians... where do I start? Originally I thought it was going to be a DNF/2 star review because I just wasn't sure how I felt about it, BUT I knew I wanted to push through and I'm so glad I did! The story was hard for me to get into at first but then it started to grow on me like a parasite
IPB gave me the vibes of Handmaids Tale meets Avatar, and I love it.
Ruby Dixon made me laughing out loud with Liz's somewhat unhinged cow references, Georgie's description of a Floridian in the snow, and our intolerance for it is spot on.
All in all IPB had me all over the place and l've decided I like it but also feel weird about liking it?! -but not weird enough to keep me from adding the whole rest of the series to my TBR

Hate by Tate James

3.0

 What the hell did I just read. The writing and tension kept me hooked: At no point did I have any idea where this was going and I’m still not convinced that I know who to trust. 

Forged by Magic by Jenna Wolfhart

adventurous funny medium-paced

5.0

Forged by Magic is my first ever Jenna Wolfhart read and it certainly won’t be my last. The FMC Daella was a total baddie who made me laugh with her sarcasm and quick wit. The suspense had me HOOKED and kept me guessing.

Forged by Magic has me feeling like a giddy school girl and was such a cozy romance read I wanted to just squeal and kick my feet with glee. 

Scot and Bothered by Alexandra Kiley

emotional hopeful reflective

4.0

Something I love about romance novels is that it seems like a lot of people think they are just silly little reads for silly little women but to me so so many of these books allow the reader to learn things about themselves by recognizing similarities between themselves and the characters on the page, process their thoughts and feelings in a safe way, and give a person hope that things will get better. 

Scot and Bothered is one of those novels. By the 2nd page I was already realize that there are parts of myself that desperately need fixing and that this book was going to take me places within myself that haven’t been examined in a long time.  This book had me in my feelings, and has caused me to seriously question what feeds my soul. 

On a lighter note, Alexandra Kiley once again has me dreaming of traveling to Scotland, and  taught me the only thing I love more than a highland cow is the adorable “hairy coo” nickname for them. 

The Fall Risk by Abby Jimenez

funny hopeful

5.0

For only being a 82 page long short story, The Fall Risk Packed a real 

🤜 💥. Between Charlotte's plants being a "rotunda of root rot and Sadness" and a VERY colorful nickname regarding some familial relations, this story was laugh out loud funny. The Fall Risk gives the reader lessons on the value of friendship (Izzy and Charlott'es friendship is life goals), believing in yourself and your abilities, and is a reminder to all my single friends out there that if he wanted to, he would. This story reminded me of the importance of knowing your worth, and remembering that no matter what you have going on in your life, you are loveable. P.S. Who knew a man defending a woman and talking about the Western Sycamore Tree could be so HOT! 🌳🥵