magnolia_reading's reviews
557 reviews

Out On a Limb by Hannah Bonam-Young

hopeful inspiring fast-paced

5.0

What a sweet story. I love the disability representation that doesn’t take center stage. Their dialogue is witty, cheesy and silly. I love their dynamic! I’m so glad this was a book club pick. 

The 7-10 Split by Karmen Lee

fast-paced

4.0

This took me back k to when I was on my high school bowling team at an all girls school. It was a well balanced plot and steam, with some mild spice with only one or two scenes that give a smidge of details and then fade to black. 

Meeting Millie by Clare Ashton

slow-paced

2.75

This was a slooooooow burn because there is a bit of a no communication trope. The plot seemed to drag because they just kept not admitting how they felt. 

Waiting On You by Monica Walters

challenging fast-paced

2.75

I'll be honest, I picked this up for the cover 🤤  however I was pleasantly surprised- it's an age gap, forbidden love romance with disability won't be for everyone because the FMC has down syndrome and it's going to challenge society's assumptions of what people with Down syndrome want/need.

Somebody's Wife by Robbi Renee

medium-paced

4.0

A bit cheesy at times but if I’m going to read a cheating plot line I want the sister in law to stay friends with the wife. I can appreciate the description of young love fading. The girls group chat made me giggle. Dr E sounds like a dream and is such a gentleman.

Love and Sportsball by Meka James

lighthearted fast-paced

3.0

What a cute story! I’m not a basketball girlie but this was good and not so sports centered. It was well balanced with their personal life. It had a smidge of drama and third act breakup but not enough to really detract from the overall plot. 

Leather & Lark by Brynne Weaver

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

3.75

Not as strong as the first one but still good. I feel like it got a bit slow in the first half/towards the middle. I wish the slow burn had a bit more rising action instead of zero to 100 in the last 100 pages. I also wanted more details about his leather work. Already bought the third book. 

This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron

adventurous emotional mysterious fast-paced

5.0

Holy cliffhanger Batman! Omg what a great book! I love all the botanical info and Greek mythology tie ins. It gave a bit of secret garden vibes and kinda reminded me of sleeping beauty at times. Loved it! 

The Blood Trials by N.E. Davenport

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

4.0

If you liked Fourth Wing you’d probably like this book. It came out before Fourth Wing and has a striking amount of similarities. It has strong feminist and anti-racism themes. It’s got a good  amount of political world building but it’s also got a smidge of spice.

Mr. Down For Whatever by Elle Wright

fast-paced

3.75

About 50/50 plot n spice. I loved the more mature characters. I don’t mind this type of miscommunication trope lol I wanted more details in a few places to make my connection with the characters deeper.