#bookishfirst

[whimsicaldragonette]

ARC Review: The Name Drop by Susan Lee

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Publication Date: September 12, 2023

Synopsis:

From the author of Seoulmates comes a story of mistaken identities, the summer of a lifetime, and a love to risk everything for. When Elijah Ri arrives in New York City for an internship at his father’s massive tech company, Haneul Corporation, he expects the royal treatment that comes with being the future CEO—even if that’s the last thing he wants. But instead, he finds himself shuffled into a group of overworked, unpaid interns, all sharing a shoebox apartment for the summer. When Jessica Lee arrives in New York City, she’s eager to make the most of her internship at Haneul Corporation, even if she’s at the bottom of the corporate ladder. But she’s shocked to be introduced as the new executive-in-training intern with a gorgeous brownstone all to herself. It doesn’t take long for Elijah and Jessica to discover the source of the they share the same Korean name. But they decide to stay switched—so Elijah can have a relaxing summer away from his controlling dad while Jessica can make the connections she desperately needs for college recommendations. As Elijah and Jessica work together to keep up the charade, a spark develops between them. Can they avoid discovery—and total disaster—with their feelings and futures on the line?

My Rating: ★★★★★

*My Review below the cut.

My Review:

This was such a delightful book. The characters were real and three-dimensional and easy to root for. Jessica was so driven and capable and it was wonderful to see Elijah becoming self-confident and learning that he could actually work hard and enjoy it. The story was easy to follow and though some of it was predictable there were also a few small twists. The characters were where it really shined. They felt like friends that I was reluctant to leave behind. It was a perfect feel-good romance and I enjoyed every minute of it. I was also impressed at how it managed to be both a feel-good summer romance AND an indictment of wealthy corporate executives and the misogyny that can be found in corporate culture. Also BTS was mentioned and that is always a highlight for me. And then to discover in the author's note that she is ARMY, and that the dedication is a quote from Kim Namjoon himself! And quoting Run made total sense with the message and narrative of the story. *Thanks to Bookishfirst and Inkyard Press for providing an early copy for review.

[fictiveescapes]

Netgalley Sister Site BookishFirst Closed Yesterday My Theories On Why

Yesterday, I received a surprising email in my inbox from BookishFirst, a sister-site/sub category/off-shoot of Netgalley. Users could read book samples and write drabble reviews to earn points which would then be used to enter giveaways and purchase books. There were forums to post said reviews and discuss with other users on the site. Another way to earn points was to download and fill out the…

[bigheartedbibliophile]

🎃 October 🦇 book bingo

🎃 October 🦇 book bingo! October 1st = Halloween, sorry I don't make the rules, lol

Join me this month as I try to fill as many squares as possible. Thanks to @bookishfirst for creating this!

@thereadingchallengechallenge does this seem like something you might be interested in doing?

[krista-hands]

The Hardest Reading Challenge - Non U.S / U.K. / CAN (#1)

Going through my TBR for this challenge really highlighted how U.S.-centric my reading is, so I'm hoping to branch out to a more world-wide reading range in the future. The first book I found to fulfill a non U.S. / U.K. / CAN setting or author home country is Icon and Inferno, the second book in the Stars and Smoke series by Marie Lu. I received an early paperback copy of Stars and Smoke earlier this year (2024) from BookishFirst and it became one of my favorite YA reads so far. The first installment has a large part of the plot take place in London, England, but Icon and Inferno follows (now full) secret agent Sydney Cossette and international pop sensation Winer Young to Singapore in order to foil an assassination attempt on the United States president. While I can't say much due to spoilers, the book is full of twists and turns, surprises that made my head spin, and reveals that I called from early on but loved the follow-through for. I was originally under the impression this would be a duology, but Marie Lu definitely leaves the ending open for more of this duo's adventures. I, for one, hope to see more of them soon. Final rating: 4/5

[eggcatsreads]

I still have to finish TEF (I only have 3 hours left!!!! I'm so excited to find out how this ends!!) But I've already got my next two books ready!

I Feed Her to the Beast I won from BookishFirst, and I loved Assistant to the Villain so I can't wait to see what happens in the sequel! ❤️❤️❤️

[kappabooks]

The Bell in the Fog | Book Review

Check out my review of the upcoming historical mystery, THE BELL IN THE FOG

I received a physical ARC from BookishFirst. All opinions are my own. The Bell in the Fog , a dazzling historical mystery by Lev AC Rosen, asks—once you have finally found a family, how far would you go to prove yourself to them? San Francisco, 1952. Detective Evander “Andy” Mills has started a new life for himself as a private detective—but his business hasn’t exactly taken off. It turns out…

[kjsshelfies]

2023 - Bookish Bingo Read - Paranormal

My Pick: The Coven - Harper L. Woods

This book started off slow and was hard to get into. However, once Woods got the story going I was hooked. There is a little something for those who love paranormal stories and spicy reads. I will definitely be looking forward to seeing where Woods brings us in the 2nd installment of this series.

My Rating: 5 out of 5

#goodreads #goodreadschallenge #bookishfirst #bingochallenge #paranormalreads #spicyreads

[museofhestia]

October Book Bingo from BookishFirst

I'm going to add my book reviews to this blog, because I love reading and don't really have a space where I share my reading adventures.

I am not sure if I will get a BINGO on this month's Book Bingo or not, but it is fun to try!

[abookishbutterfly]

Hello, friends!

I’ve done a thing.

After looking at numerous reading challenges, trying to decide on one I liked, I concluded that I should just make my own.

I’d like to invite you to join me on it!

I’m not especially good with prompt specific challenges, as a mood reader, and I abandoned one with 52 prompts after completing over half of it back in 2019! But I think I understand the mistake I made back then. I planned all of the reads ahead of time and feeling locked into them completely drained me of the joy of reading.

Within the last year, I’ve played along with BookishFirst’s monthly bingo boards and I’ve come to realize that I can do these challenges as long as I don’t put too much pressure on myself and I don’t plan it out, just letting things land where they may.

I wanted something that both diversified my reading and helped me get to some of my older TBR books. I kept the list at 25 with the hope that no one, including myself, will feel drained by it. I also tried to get a variety on there, but did include some of my preferences (like literary thrillers and books with social commentary!).

I hope that you will play along with me. Feel free to take a screenshot so you can save the prompts. I will try to do a check in every so often, but remember this: The challenge should be fun! If you’re not enjoying it, quit! No judgment here! And if you cannot complete all of the prompts, that’s completely fine, too! Because my biggest goal is to read what I love, and I hope that you’re inundated with books you adore in 2024, too!

[signal-failure]

The Wrong Kind of Weird, by James Ramos, is a fun new YA romcom. When the story opens, nerdy high-schooler Cameron is secretly dating the cheerleader prom queen girl, who's also in an off-again-on-again situation with her popular-crowd boyfriend. At the same time, Cameron's starting to spend more time with a nerdy artist girl, who might become more than a friend... This was a sweet YA story, with fun, believable secondary characters. I really liked that both love interests actually had their own hobbies and interests! The Wrong Kind of Weird is a hard one to review, because there was a lot to enjoy in a book that riffs on both Dragonball Z and Pride and Prejudice, but I found a lot of Cameron's personal story slightly flat. Cameron -- and his nerdy friends -- are unpleasantly obsessed with the idea that hobbies are the same thing as personality, so he uses his geek hobbies almost as a shield, dividing himself and his friends from others. Cameron's not quite posting on incel Reddit, but it doesn't make for a particularly likable protag. As nerd hobbies become mainstream, accessible interests, it's more awkward to hide behind a niche interest. Can you *really* be a comic book outsider with popular, big-budget Marvel movies coming out left and right? This makes the book's overall just-be-yourself message feel even more heavy-handed. Fortunately, every single secondary character from the girl crafting weekends to win a cosplay contest, to an older sister explaining the hand-flex in P&P, to a divorced dad asking his son awkward music questions to relate, felt like a real person. Overall, not a perfect book but definitely an author to watch. Thanks to @bookishfirst for the ARC! #DragonballZ #PrideandPrejudice #TheWrongKindofWeird #bookishfirst #bookblogger #books #bookstagram #bookworm #booklover #bookish #booknerd #bookaddict #bookaholic #booklove #bookphotography #bookstagrammer #booksofinstagram #bookblogging #bookcover #bookclub #minibookreview #YA #giftedproduct https://www.instagram.com/p/CmuvftdvT-c/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[whimsicaldragonette]

ARC Review: Nightbirds by Kate J. Armstrong

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Publication Date: February 28, 2023

Synopsis:

In a dazzling new fantasy world full of whispered secrets and political intrigue, the magic of women is outlawed but four girls with unusual powers have the ability to change it all. The Nightbirds are Simta’s best kept secret. Teenage girls from the Great Houses with magic coursing through their veins, the Nightbirds have the unique ability to gift their magic to others with a kiss. Magic—especially the magic of women—is outlawed and the city’s religious sects would see them burned if discovered. But protected by the Great Houses, the Nightbirds are safe well-guarded treasures. As this Season’s Nightbirds, Matilde, Aesa, and Sayer spend their nights bestowing their unique brands of magic to well-paying clients. Once their Season is through, they're each meant to marry a Great House lord and become mothers to the next generation of Nightbirds before their powers fade away. But Matilde, Aesa, and Sayer have other plans. They know their lives as Nightbirds aren't just temporary, but a complete lie and yearn for something more. When they discover that there are other girls like them and that their magic is more than they were ever told, they see the carefully crafted Nightbird system for what it is: a way to keep them in their place, first as daughters and then as wives. Now they must make a choice—to stay in their gilded cage or to remake the city that put them there in the first place.

My Rating: ★★★★★

My Review and Favorite Quotes below the cut.

My Review:

This was a lot twistier and heavier than I was expecting. It's full of secrets and lies and betrayals and political machinations, and centers on four incredibly strong young women. I found myself just along for the ride as I was breathlessly hurtled through the twists and turns of the plot, never knowing who to trust or where danger might spring from next. The magic is darker than I expected but also quite beautiful. There are moments of light throughout the novel but it is a heavy read and a very dense one. The writing is gorgeous and I highlighted several passages that I found beautifully written and very profound. Sometimes you find a story that is a cracking good story but also gets at an underlying truth. This is one of those stories. Also the sheer feminist rage I felt whilst reading this was something else. These four women are incredibly strong and resilient and so, so angry at being torn down and persecuted and caged by the men in their lives. The book leaves off on not-quite-a-cliffhanger, but certainly nothing is settled. The four women are finding themselves and their inner strength but there is still a long way to go before they, and the other magical girls of Simta, can be safe. I absolutely cannot wait for the next book. *Thanks to Bookishfirst and Penguin Teen for providing an early copy for review.

Favorite Quotes:

Matilde slips on her Goldfinch mask. It’s like a second skin: her truest face and best lie.

---

Sit tight, be quiet, stay secret: It’s all they seem to hear lately. Fold your wings and close your pretty eyes.

---

Fenlin tips back her mask, revealing a sharp jaw, a green eyepatch, and a devastating mouth. A kissable one, if you like a dash of lethal with your trysts.

---

It isn’t posed as a question, but an answer, writing over any she might give. He sounds like Enis when he said they were meant for each other, like the man in Leta’s ballroom when he commanded her to dance. All different men, but their words served the same purpose. To tell her who she is, what she is for. To drown her voice.

---

Her grandda always said she had a sheldar singing through her. Just listen for her tune and have the courage to answer. Perhaps courage is a thing you choose, like friendship. It’s choosing to have faith in the voice within.

[winddragonart]

Found this book bingo that I thought would be fun to try this year. Now, I don’t plan on reordering my reading order to fit these, but if my books fit in here, I’ll slap it onto the bingo.

Here is February’s.

The covered ones are as follows: Cozy Mystery: Shroud for the Archbishop by Peter Tremayne Red and Gold Cover: Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie Second in a Series: Of Darkness and Dawn by Will Wight (also listened to its "twin" book Of Dawn and Darkness but I couldn't fit that one into this bingo card) (Also: Shroud for the Archbishop would have also fit in this square)

[bigheartedbibliophile]

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Summary: ☠👀😮

Read: Nov. 2024

SPOILERS

I received this book as a free ARC from @bookishfirst for giving my initial review of the first 20 pages or so. I had to read more, so I'm glad I got the chance to!

This book was SO good!

Dovie, the main character, can hear the bones of the dead in Lucifer’s Creek, Arkansas. Luckily for the cops, she has been willing to help them find the bones of the missing hitchhikers for the last three years. Typically, one or two hitchhikers go missing a year, but in the past three years alone, almost thirty have disappeared, only to be found later by Dovie. The hitchhikers are almost always with other hitchhikers, and only go missing after being alone for only a few minutes.

Lo, Dovie’s best friend, has been plagued with voices and shadows following him everywhere, so he leaves for a few weeks, hoping they will disappear. When they don’t, he returns to Dovie, begging for her help. All hell breaks loose when they find out he’s hearing and seeing the dead hitchhikers.

I loved how the author made it seem like one person was killing everyone, then it was someone else, then back to the first person, and so on. Just when I thought I knew what was happening, BAM! Evidence that it couldn’t be that person. I will certainly read anything else this author puts out!

[debbiedoesbooks]

Ace Of Spades Book Review- 4 stars . Sometimes a book screams at me to read it and so I hype it up so much in my own head. You can imagine that can end very badly if I end up not liking the book because the crash back down to earth hurts. Such was not the case here. NOT EVEN A LITTLE BIT. . One private school. Two Black teenagers from the opposite sides of society's tracks. Devon's mom has sacrificed much so the musical protege can lead them to a better life. Chiamaka wants for nothing. One anonymous texter exposing their darkest secrets. . This book is very difficult to review because it is, amongst other things, a thriller. And I'm don't want to give anything away as that really would ruin the book for you. I will say it is twisty and dark. I went in kind of blind and don't regret that at all. It was a Bookish First win and once I saw the cover I knew I had to have it. BOOKWORM INTUITION IS REAL. . #AceOfSpades #BookishFirst @faridahlikestea @bookishfirst https://www.instagram.com/p/CQelcFGroIt/?utm_medium=tumblr

[readingwithwrin]

Widows by Lynda La Plante | Book Review

Widows by Lynda La Plante | Book Review

Title: Widows

Author: Lynda La Plante

Publisher: Zaffre

Published Date: June 5th, 2018

Genre: Mystery, Adult Fiction

Source: BookishFirst

Rating: ★ ★ ★

Goodreads Summary:

Before PRIME SUSPECT there was WIDOWS . . . Facing life alone, they turned to crime together. Dolly Rawlins, Linda Pirelli and Shirley Miller are left devastated when their husbands are killed in a…

[kappabooks]

Unseelie | Book Review

My review of UNSEELIE, a YA fae fantasy, is finally up!

As the HarperCollins strike is over and the union has received a fair contract, I can now post this review! I received a finished copy for review from BookishFirst. All opinions are my own. Twin sisters, both on the run, but different as day and night. One, a professional rogue, searches for a fabled treasure; the other, a changeling, searches for the truth behind her origins, trying to find a…