stephanieronco's reviews
48 reviews

Say You'll Be Mine by Naina Kumar

5.0

My inner theater kid got such a kick out of [b:Say You'll Be Mine|134117190|Say You'll Be Mine|Naina Kumar|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1691745417l/134117190._SY75_.jpg|151625471] by [a:Naina Kumar|32390087|Naina Kumar|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1687417519p2/32390087.jpg]. I mean, fake dating for *spite* reasons? Here for it!

The Getaway List by Emma Lord

5.0

Followed Piranesi with an absolute banger by [a:Emma Lord|18673646|Emma Lord|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1683047733p2/18673646.jpg]. [b:The Getaway List|126919196|The Getaway List|Emma Lord|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1682194701l/126919196._SY75_.jpg|148189385] is a heartfelt love letter to New York, loaded with Lord’s trademark whimsy and enthusiasm. I got a total kick out of references to both #hotduck AND #pizzarat. With fascinating relationships complicated in interesting ways, this was a real YA treat, and I can’t wait to read her adult debut, [b:The Break-Up Pact|195790535|The Break-Up Pact|Emma Lord|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1693581310l/195790535._SY75_.jpg|197724391], the second it comes out!

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

5.0

[b:Piranesi|50202953|Piranesi|Susanna Clarke|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1609095173l/50202953._SY75_.jpg|73586702] by [a:Susanna Clarke|8842|Susanna Clarke|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1453496946p2/8842.jpg] was one of the most staggeringly creative books I’ve read in a long time. Beautiful and magical and strange, I can’t wait to revisit it again and again.

Funny Story by Emily Henry

5.0

I saved [b:Funny Story|194802722|Funny Story|Emily Henry|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1691777485l/194802722._SY75_.jpg|196167481] by [a:Emily Henry|13905555|Emily Henry|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1573928938p2/13905555.jpg] for weeks until I had the chance to give it the attention it deserved, and boy was it worth the wait! Fake dating for spite is now my favorite subgenre of the fake dating trope and I don’t think I ever stopped kicking my feet in delight.

Death in the Spires by KJ Charles

5.0

I have been a fan of [a:K.J. Charles|7123498|K.J. Charles|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1418032373p2/7123498.jpg] for years, and her first foray into historical murder mystery was a triumph! My husband put up with my constant declamations of snappy bits of dialogue and a steady stream of “I love this book so much and I’m only on page 20,” “I love this book so much and I’m only on page 25,” (which continued through the rest of the story).

And then, when I finished, I immediately started reading it all over again, something I only do with my very favorites. [b:Death in the Spires|209563735|Death in the Spires|K.J. Charles|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1709747722l/209563735._SY75_.jpg|215764805] is fantastic from beginning to end.

For Real by Alexis Hall

5.0

[b:For Real|197036064|For Real (Spires, #3)|Alexis Hall|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1702411811l/197036064._SY75_.jpg|45123759]: The spiciest book in my library has somehow turned into a mandatory comfort reread.

[a:Alexis Hall|7032108|Alexis Hall|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1684697572p2/7032108.jpg] crafts his characters with depth and precision, and I maintain that he’s one of the best in the business when it comes to interiority and voice.

I couldn’t resist the new edition. This is the very first time that I actually own three different versions of the same book (kindle, paperback, annotated re-release), and I have to say I love all of them.

An Unnatural Vice by KJ Charles

5.0

I read a couple of definitely-not-for-me books this week (mostly my own preorders, so that’ll show me). Eventually I fled back to [a:K.J. Charles|7123498|K.J. Charles|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1418032373p2/7123498.jpg] for a reread of her Sins of the Cities stories. [b:An Unnatural Vice|32161804|An Unnatural Vice (Sins of the Cities, #2)|K.J. Charles|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1480582018l/32161804._SY75_.jpg|52798546] is my favorite. I loved learning about cold reading and the intricate tricks employed by spiritualists, and the book’s account of the London Fog of December 1873 was fascinating. Plus, the whole thing was loaded with tormented characters and a layered mystery that kept me guessing throughout.

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

5.0

The fact that [a:Barbara Kingsolver|3541|Barbara Kingsolver|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1714173629p2/3541.jpg] is a brilliant writer isn’t any type of revelation, but man, her latest is a masterpiece. [b:Demon Copperhead|60194162|Demon Copperhead|Barbara Kingsolver|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1660050779l/60194162._SY75_.jpg|94935539] sheds unflinching light on the joys and horrors of life in Appalachia, especially as informed by the opioid crisis and the insidious legacy of predation by basically everyone but especially lumber conglomerates and mining companies. I am so grateful Barbara Kingsolver put her skills to this task

A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel by KJ Charles

5.0

[a:K.J. Charles|7123498|K.J. Charles|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1418032373p2/7123498.jpg] is one of my very favorite authors, and [b:A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel|75505273|A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel (The Doomsday Books, #2)|K.J. Charles|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1677601132l/75505273._SY75_.jpg|100794063] is full of all the best kinds of intrigue, pining, and charm. I can’t wait to reread it 800 more times.

Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan

5.0

I am SO late to the party, but [b:Nora Goes Off Script|58988426|Nora Goes Off Script|Annabel Monaghan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1647259860l/58988426._SY75_.jpg|92995064] by [a:Annabel Monaghan|645867|Annabel Monaghan|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1699223937p2/645867.jpg] was a delight from start to finish, and another one with entire sections that were so fun to read a second time with fresh knowledge. Only my book budget is stopping me from buying everything else she's ever written immediately.