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shesreadingagain_'s reviews
315 reviews
Meet Me at Blue Hour by Sarah Suk
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The Blighted Stars by Megan E. O'Keefe
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams
3.75
A Love Song for Ricki Wilde
Genre: Contemporary Romance l Black Romance I Magical Realism
Length: 12 hours I 352 pages
Release Date: February 6, 2024
Narrator: Mela Lee and Preston Butler
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
When I read Seven Days in June by Tia Williams in 2023 it set the bar what I expect for a romance novel, SDiJ is stil my favorite romance of all time. When I saw that Tia had another book coming out I dashed over to NetGalley to request it. And then it sat in my NetGalley queue for far too long. Here I am reviewing it, over a year after it's release (whoops).
A Love Song for Ricki Wilde is a contemporary romance with elements of magic realism and historical fiction, following Ricki Wilde, a free-spirited florist, and Ezra Walker, a mysterious musician, as they navigate a soulmate connection against the backdrop of Harlem's history and magic. Ricki has always been the blacksheep of her very wealthy family in that she wants to make a way for herself rather than falling in line and following the family business. Ricki's parents and sisters are doubtful at best, Ricki sets out to prove them all wrong. One day Ricki is walking through a garden when a strikingly handsome man, Ezra catches her eye and runs away. Ezra and Ricki's love story was so exactly what I needed.
I listened to A Love for Song for Ricki Wilde on audiobook through Libby and I really enjoyed the dual narrators for the the POVs of Ricki and Ezra. Their voices transported me directly in Tia's story and it was so gripping. Their voices were the perfect fit for the characters which made the story fly by. I loved the easter egg of Eva Mercy's book (character from Seven Days in June) being name dropped in this story. I really enjoyed this story and I can't wait to read Audre & Bash are Just Friends from Tia too!
Genre: Contemporary Romance l Black Romance I Magical Realism
Length: 12 hours I 352 pages
Release Date: February 6, 2024
Narrator: Mela Lee and Preston Butler
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
When I read Seven Days in June by Tia Williams in 2023 it set the bar what I expect for a romance novel, SDiJ is stil my favorite romance of all time. When I saw that Tia had another book coming out I dashed over to NetGalley to request it. And then it sat in my NetGalley queue for far too long. Here I am reviewing it, over a year after it's release (whoops).
A Love Song for Ricki Wilde is a contemporary romance with elements of magic realism and historical fiction, following Ricki Wilde, a free-spirited florist, and Ezra Walker, a mysterious musician, as they navigate a soulmate connection against the backdrop of Harlem's history and magic. Ricki has always been the blacksheep of her very wealthy family in that she wants to make a way for herself rather than falling in line and following the family business. Ricki's parents and sisters are doubtful at best, Ricki sets out to prove them all wrong. One day Ricki is walking through a garden when a strikingly handsome man, Ezra catches her eye and runs away. Ezra and Ricki's love story was so exactly what I needed.
I listened to A Love for Song for Ricki Wilde on audiobook through Libby and I really enjoyed the dual narrators for the the POVs of Ricki and Ezra. Their voices transported me directly in Tia's story and it was so gripping. Their voices were the perfect fit for the characters which made the story fly by. I loved the easter egg of Eva Mercy's book (character from Seven Days in June) being name dropped in this story. I really enjoyed this story and I can't wait to read Audre & Bash are Just Friends from Tia too!
I'm Not Supposed to Be in the Dark by Riss M. Neilson
mysterious
slow-paced
2.75
I'm Not Supposed To Be In the Dark
Author: Riss M. Nielson
Author: Riss M. Nielson
Genre: Paranormal Romance I Young Adult
Release Date:
Dates Read: February 25-27, 2025
Rating: 3⭐️
Thank you to @NetGalley for the e-arc of this rerelease.
I’m Not Supposed to Be In the Dark is a paranormal young adult romance that follows a teen convinced that her best friend turned enemy is possessed by a ghost. This novel is an alluring ghost story exorcising the past to find a future to believe in.
I was immediately drawn in by the cover, unfortunately this story just honestly bored me. I would have DNF’d this book if it hadn’t been sitting in my NetGalley account for almost two years. I wanted more! I think that is what it simply boils down to, I just wanted more story, more reason to care about the characters and more romance. The backstory of why the FMC’s powers were hidden from her left a lot to be desired. It left me with more questions than answers, are the powers hereditary? Are these powers somehow connected to the small town where the story takes place? Just really so many questions, so I am very disappointed in this novel, but the author’s next novel is one that I hear a lot of people really enjoy so I will be checking it out from my library. This one missed the mark for me but here’s to hoping that the next book is one I will enjoy.
Jumpnauts by Hao Jingfang
4.0
Jumpnauts by Has Jingfong
Translated by Ken Liu
Genre: science fiction
Length: 368 pages
Release Date: March 12, 2024
I have been wanting to read more translated works this year, this is the first one so far, but Three Body Problem is another one I am wanting to get to because I feel like we get a unique perspective when we read more books from author’s who’s language is not our own. Jumpnauts blends elements of adventure, cosmic anthropology, and first contact. The story also includes social and political themes along with Chinese history and mythology.
The story follows three unlikely allies who embarks on a desperate mission to make contact with a mysterious alien race before a more militaristic faction can take control. Jumpnauts has been praised for its compelling promise well-developed characters, and exploration of complex themes.
This book was such a unique experience for me being that it was a translated work, I will say off jump that I don’t think this type of book is going to work for everyone. It is very much a character study and it switches to a species study for the remainder of the book. If you aren’t one for a book that focuses heavily on the characters and less on plot than this one may not interest you. However, I found this book to be very intriguing and an interesting take on what could possibly be out there in the universe. I would be very interested to read more books by this author to see if the voice changes based on who translates the novel.
Translated by Ken Liu
Genre: science fiction
Length: 368 pages
Release Date: March 12, 2024
I have been wanting to read more translated works this year, this is the first one so far, but Three Body Problem is another one I am wanting to get to because I feel like we get a unique perspective when we read more books from author’s who’s language is not our own. Jumpnauts blends elements of adventure, cosmic anthropology, and first contact. The story also includes social and political themes along with Chinese history and mythology.
The story follows three unlikely allies who embarks on a desperate mission to make contact with a mysterious alien race before a more militaristic faction can take control. Jumpnauts has been praised for its compelling promise well-developed characters, and exploration of complex themes.
This book was such a unique experience for me being that it was a translated work, I will say off jump that I don’t think this type of book is going to work for everyone. It is very much a character study and it switches to a species study for the remainder of the book. If you aren’t one for a book that focuses heavily on the characters and less on plot than this one may not interest you. However, I found this book to be very intriguing and an interesting take on what could possibly be out there in the universe. I would be very interested to read more books by this author to see if the voice changes based on who translates the novel.