Angel Reads

21 Jul

YA Reads I’ve Loved So Far This Year

Posted by angelreads Discussions, Recommendations 2 Comments

The other day I spoke about my favourite romance reads this year. Today I thought I would share my favourite YA reads so far this year. While I haven’t read as much YA as I normally have in past year, I still read a good amount of it.

Most of the YA books that I read this year I’ve really loved. And that has made reading them so enjoyable. I just like picking up a book and loving it. I’ve also read a wide range of YA this year, genre-wise. I think I will read more YA towards the end of the year. I think this is because there are heaps of YA books that I am excited about coming out.

In saying that, here are my favourite YA reads so far this year like always these are in no order. Also if you have any YA books that you think I should pick up, please do tell me.

The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air #1) by Holly Black: This has to be one of my favourite YA reads this year. It’s addicting, dark and messes with your emotions. It’s a world of court intrigue and the conflict between fae and humans. The Cruel Prince follows protagonist Jude ten years after she and her sisters witness their parents murder, kidnapped and taken to the fae world. Now they live in the High Court of Faerie and in a world that doesn’t accept them. Jude doesn’t fit into the fae world and the fey don’t let her forget it. With the current King ready to step down, things are about to get more dangerous in the world that Jude lives | Full Review.

Say You’ll Remember Me by Katie McGarry: It’s intense and takes you on a journey. It’s heartbreaking and uplifting. It explores family, social standards and second chances. Say You’ll Remember Me follows Drix a convicted teen who is now part of the Second Chance Program. When Drix was convicted of a crime that he didn’t commit he thought his life was over. But with this second chance, he wants to take. He wants to do something right with this life. Then he meets Elle and something about her changes Drix. But he also changed Elle. Elle’s a governor’s daughter and has had her life handed to her, but when she wants to do something more | Full Review.

The Season of You & Me by Robin Constantine: It’s an emotional rollercoaster that really pulls at your heart. The Season of You & Me explores family, friendship and finding yourself. It’s a fantastic coming of age novel that explores disability, love and being okay with who you are. The Season of You & Me follows protagonists Cassidy and Bryan two people who have been hurt in different ways but find each other in this summer romance. Cassidy has had her heart broken, torn apart. And when she has the opportunity to spend the summer with her father, she takes the chance. Bryan will never walk again. And it’s hurting, he will never walk, he will never surf. And that is hard to live with. When they both begin to work at Camp Manatee, things change. But can they both risk their already fractured hearts? Full Review.

Allied (Ruined #3) by Amy Tintera: In the final book of the runied trilogy, everything comes together in a battle of all forces. It all started when Emelina wanted to save her sister, but now she is fighting her. Emelina and Olivia wanted to bring peace to the people of Runia. But when the meaning of freedom changes for Olivia, everything changes. With Olivia filled with vengeance, Emelina starts to pull away. And tension rises between the two sisters. And it’s not just Emelina seeing the change in Olivia, but the people of Runia as well. Will the sisters be brought together or will they kill one another?

Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett: Starry Eyes follows teens Zorie and Lennon as they try and navigate their last years of school, but best friends that have now turned enemies didn’t expect to be spending their break together on a camping trip. When things go south and they have to stick together, everything is brought out into the open. But it doesn’t help that Zorie’s father hating everything to do with Lennon is just the start of it. And Lennon didn’t turn up to homecoming. It explores what it means to love, have family and friends. It’s a coming of age novel that really grabs you from the start with its honesty and reliability | Full Review.

The Accidentals by Sarina Bowen: Rachel has known who her father is most of her life, but she has never met him. She listens to his voice on the radio, but she has never heard it spoken to her. But that all changes when Rachel’s mother dies. Suddenly she is thrust into her father’s life of take-out and parties and his first-class lifestyle. She thought that meeting him would be totally different, and as time goes on, secrets start to build and misunderstandings start to appear. When Rachel moves to boarding school, she thought it would change and things do, just not how she expected it to. The Accidentals explores grief, family and finding yourself in this massive world. It’s a coming of age story that is explored through music and love | Full Review.

The Love That I Have by James Moloney: Okay this isn’t really YA. But the protagonists are 17/18 and I need to share my love for this book. The Love That I Have follows Margot Baumann as she works in a mailroom at Sachsenhausen concentration camp during WWII. At first, she is shielded from the brutality of the camp, but when she is told to burn the mail of the prisoners, she knows that something isn’t right. She is horrified that she has to burn them, so she does something. So she sends out the mail herself. She reads the letters and starts to really understand the horrific circumstances that the prisoners are going through.

It’s then how she learns about Dieter Kleinschmidt. Through the beauty of his letters, she wants to save him, help him. Do everything that she can. The Love That I Have is a very confronting novel, it explores a different side of WWII that we don’t let see a lot. And I really enjoy it. But gosh this novel is brutal.

And that is it for my favourite YA reads so far this year. Do we share any that is the same? What are some of your favourites? Let’s have a chat!

18 Jul

Romance Reads I’ve Loved So Far This Year

Posted by angelreads Recommendations No Comments

Today I thought I would share some of my favourite books that I read in 2018 so far. 2018 has been a romance year for me, I’ve just been reading the genre so much more this year. But there are many ups and downs with reading romance books. There are some really bad books. But then are ones that just stand out above the crowd and make me fall in love.

Romance is still a new genre for me. And I am still finding what I like and don’t, like regarding tropes and cliches within in the genre. You can check out my post about reading more romance novels that I posted a couple of months ago.

I’ve tried to mostly keep new to me reads on this list. But some re-reads might have slipped through because I loved the book so much. Also if you have any recommendations of romance books that you think I might love – please send them my way.

So Over You (Chicago Rebels #2) by Kate Meader: If you know me well you know I love sports romances. I am an avid sports watcher so if I get to read about sports, especially ice hockey I am so in. I started this series last year after I saw someone recommend it and I just really enjoyed the characters. So Over You follows Isobel, one of 3 estranged sisters that have come together to run their fathers ice hockey team. Isobel used to play icy hockey herself until an injury left her sidelined and burned her dreams. And then is called upon to help her late fathers team. Her first assignment, help the person that broke her teen heart back into skating and winning form.

Undone By You (Chicago Rebels #3) by Kate Meader: While this is book 3 in this series, it is only a novella. But gosh did I fall in love with this book. Undone by You follows Dante the first openly gay general manager in pro ice hockey. Dante has just landed the job of his life and he isn’t going to let any hate or discrimination stop him from doing his job. However, his attraction to Cade star defensemen of his team may cause some problems – okay a lot of problems. But this book is such a powerful, heartbreaking and uplifting sports romance.

Marked (Sailor’s Grave #1) by Drew Elyse: This book immediately got my attention because the male protagonist works as a tattooist artist, but that is only the start. Marked follows Kate as she tries to move past the death of her husband and the father of her child. It’s been a couple of years since her husband’s death. But Kate still doesn’t know what to do with her life. Liam has liked Kate for some time. But he knows that she is not ready, that she needs time. But when Kate goes into his tattoo parlour for a piece, well Liam doesn’t just want to leave a mark on her skin. This book is heartbreaking and heart-lifting all that at the same time. | Full Review

Him (Him #1) by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy: I don’t think anyone will be surprised that this one is on my list. I love this book so much that I had to do a re-read this year. Him follows rising ice hockey stars Ryan Wesley and Jamie Canning as they met again after years apart. They use to be best friends, but one day Ryan just stop talking to him. And Jamie can’t figure out why. Then they have to face one another on the ice when their college teams come face to face. And old feelings and resentments come to the surface. But for Ryan seeing Jamie again as sparked an old crush and Jamie well it’s got him thinking. Now they have to spend six weeks together back to where it all started.

Brooklynaire (Brooklyn Bruisers #4) by Sarina Bowen: Another Sarina Bowen, is not a surprise. Brooklynaire by Sarina Bowen follows Nate and Rebecca, two colleagues turned friends as they try and navigate their lives after they share a moment together. It’s a romance that the readers have seen a glimpse of from the Brooklyn Bruisers series by Sarina. Nate and Rebecca have known each other for about 7 years when the book starts off. And it was great to see their relationship move from friends to something much more. Probably one of my favourite books by her and that’s saying something. I just love Nate and Rebecca so much, especially together | Full Review.

Speakeasy (True North #5) by Sarina Bowen: Speakeasy follows May as she tries to get a grip on life. After she finds out that her girlfriend is cheating on her, she thinks everything is over. And lucky Alec is there to save her before things get messy. Alec doesn’t want anything to do with the Shipley family. However, when he sees May is trouble he can’t help but intervene. But for a man that doesn’t do love, it’s new territory when he starts to spend more time with May and things might just change. Full Review

Midnight Captive (Killer Instincts #6) by Elle Kennedy: I finally got the chance to continue this series and gosh this book was intense. Midnight Captive follows former CIA agent Bailey and mercenary Sean Reilly as they both try and forget their night of passion together for different reasons. But when Sean gets into trouble, Bailey knows that something isn’t right. She may not like Sean, but robbing a bank isn’t his sort of thing. But Sean has his reason and any wrong move couple put his twin brother and know Bailey at risk. Things start to get heated as Sean and Bailey have to leave things aside before someone is injured or worse.

Midnight Target (Killer Instincts #8) by Elle Kennedy: This is the last in the Killer Instincts series and gosh did I fall in love with it. It’s tense and kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. And I am going, to be honest, I did cry a couple of times. Midnight Target follows Cate four years after she was found by Jim Morgan, her father. After becoming a freelance photographer, she captures a photo of a corrupt South American politician with the leader of a notorious drug cartel. Then things go to shit. When Cate has to work with the man that broke her heart. But that is not all. Liam Macgregor and Sullivan Port haven’t seen each other in years. And feelings are never really kept hidden.

And that is it! Have you read any of these romance books? What did you think of them? Are you planning on read more? What are some that you think I should pick up? Let’s Chat!

14 Jul

Book Review: Save The Date by Morgan Matson

Posted by angelreads Blog Tours, Book Reviews 1 Comment

Save The Date by Morgan Matson

Pages: 417
Publish date: June 14, 2018
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 9781471163883
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – QBD

Charlie Grant’s older sister is getting married this weekend at their family home, and Charlie can’t wait—for the first time in years, all four of her older siblings will be under one roof. Charlie is desperate for one last perfect weekend before the house is sold and everything changes. The house will be filled with jokes and games and laughs again. Making decisions about things like what college to attend and reuniting with longstanding crush Jesse Foster—all that can wait. She wants to focus on making the weekend perfect.

The only problem? The weekend is shaping up to be an absolute disaster.

There’s the unexpected dog with a penchant for howling, house alarm that won’t stop going off, and a papergirl with a grudge.

There are the relatives who aren’t speaking, the (awful) girl her favorite brother brought home unannounced, and a missing tuxedo.

Not to mention the neighbor who seems to be bent on sabotage and a storm that is bent on drenching everything. The justice of the peace is missing. The band will only play covers. The guests are all crazy. And the wedding planner’s nephew is unexpectedly and distractingly…cute.

Over the course of three ridiculously chaotic days, Charlie will learn more than she ever expected about the family she thought she knew by heart. And she’ll realize that sometimes, trying to keep everything like it was in the past means missing out on the future.

Save the Date:

This post was supposed to be up ages ago. I thought it was, but silly me didn’t check and my review has now disappeared into the internet. Anyway, here we go again.

I received a free copy of Save the Date by Morgan Matson in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

I’ve always been a big fan of Morgan Matson books, so when I hear she was bringing out something new, I needed to give it a go. However, Save the Date wasn’t what I was expecting. And that isn’t a bad thing. Going in I thought it was going to be more romance focused and honestly it wasn’t really. Romance intertwined throughout the novel, but it was more about family and forgiving.

Save the Date follows Charlie Grant as her family comes together one last time in their family home for her older sisters wedding. And basically, nothing goes to plan. There are alarms going off, a wedding planner that has disappeared, and high tension between family members. With the weekend shaping up to be a disaster, Charlie tries to do everything in her power to make it the perfect wedding and weekend. And it also just happens that the wedding planners nephew happens to be totally cute.

I really enjoyed Charlie as a protagonist, she was likable, real and made plenty of mistakes. Charlie has a lot going on in her life, from trying to decide what college she should go to, and the thought of her family falling apart. One of the things I really enjoyed about Save the Date was that Charlie felt so real. Her thoughts and problems just bounced off the page and really caught me. I adored that she cared so much for her family and would do anything for them.

I also liked how they all played a part in Charlie becoming who she is in the book. The reader is able to see throughout Save the Date that Charlie starts to grow and not only find herself, but footing in this large world. Even though all the chaos with the wedding happening, the reader is really able to grasp who Charlie is and who she wants to become.

The idea of family is a massive theme through Save the Date and even Morgan Matson books in general. One of the reasons that I really enjoy Morgan Matson books is because she doesn’t hide away from many things relating to family. It’s very real and even raw at times. And that is what Save the Date entails and explores. The Grant family aren’t your happy family that a lot of books depicted. There is a lot of heat, hurt and trouble surrounding the siblings and their parents. And as the novel does go we get to really see it all unfold. The reader is able to see how this family comes together when everything is going around them and how they stick together. But also how they can fall apart.

The plot for Save the Date was a little out there. It was crazy, fun and sometimes took the reader on a journey. But also at times, it seemed unbelievable. That might be the only reason why I didn’t love this book as much as Morgan Matson’s others. At times things just seemed so far-fetched that I had to really slow down and read what was happening. Honesty it did make the book fun and interesting, but it also dragged the story on far more than I think it needed. I did feel that there were parts that I didn’t enjoy about the family, especially relating to Charlie’s parents that didn’t sit with me right.

As I said at the start I thought that there was going to more of a romance drive of the book. And while it didn’t bother me, I was a little put back when I started reading. In saying all this, I did enjoy the romance that was in the book. I do wish there was more of it, especially towards the end, but that is because I thought it was totally cute and wanted more.

Overall I really enjoyed Save The Date by Morgan Matson. It was fun and excited read that just put a smile on my face. It’s about family, friendship and growing up. I love books about family and Save the Date really highlights the ups and downs and family and the many relationships that being apart of any relationship entail. I loved Charlie as a protagonist as she was real and was able to capture my attention from the start. Nevertheless, Save the Date was just a good read that really looked at many different themes.

Have you read Save the Date by Morgan Matson? What did you think of it? Are you planning on it? What’s your favourite Morgan Matson novel? Let’s Chat!