#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.

[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=

[winddragonart]

November

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’s November’s. The covered ones are as follows: Published in November: Devil May Care by Tony Evans Characters Travel by Plane: The Clue in the Old Album by Carolyn Keene Character is a Writer: Yukarism, Vol. 1 by Chika Shiomi Character is Adopted: That Wolf-Boy is Mine!, Vol. 1 by Yoko Nogiri Historical Romance: Yukarism, Vol. 2 by Chika Shiomi

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[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!

[whimsicaldragonette]

ARC Review: Unseelie by Ivelisse Housman

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Publication Date: January 3, 2023

Synopsis:

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 place to fit in with the realm of fae who made her and the humans who shun her.  Iselia “Seelie” Graygrove looks just like her twin, Isolde… but as an autistic changeling trying to navigate her unpredictable magic, Seelie finds it more difficult to fit in with the humans around her. When Seelie and Isolde are caught up in a heist gone wrong and make some unexpected allies, they find themselves unraveling a larger mystery that has its roots in the history of humans and fae alike.  Both sisters soon discover that the secrets of the faeries may be more valuable than any pile of gold and jewels. But can Seelie harness her magic in time to protect her sister, and herself?

My Rating: ★★★★★

*My Review and Favorite Quotes below the cut.

My Review:

I loved this! The writing is gorgeous, the characters are compelling and intriguing and felt very real, and the plot kept me guessing while still feeling familiar. My absolute favorite thing about it though is that Seelie is an autistic main character who is very believably autistic. She is also very, very relatable (to me, anyway) and I really felt and understood her decisions and choices. Sometimes they annoyed me a little, but I always understood them.

Raze is a character I couldn't quite pin down, and that's a good thing. He's so layered and has so many deflecting shields that he doesn't really let people in. Seelie is probably the closest he's let anyone get, just by virtue of adventuring together and being in constant peril.

I loved Isolde. It would be fascinating to see things from her perspective, but I'm glad we're given Seelie's. I especially loved the love they feel and the way they are bonded together as sisters against everything. I hope we get a lot more of Isolde in the next book.

Olani is also a fascinating character, and one I want to spend more time with in the next book. She has layers too, and I like her outlook and her combination of healer's patience and adventurer's spirit.

Gossamer is fascinating in more of a horrified fascination sort of way, but I really appreciate the way his nature contrasting with Seelie's brings her more into herself. I am very intrigued by his story and what we will discover in the next book.

I cannot stress enough how much I love that the entire premise of this book is that changeling myths are an early description of autism. Seelie is a changeling, and very obviously autistic, and a wonderful main character. And the revelation about Seelie and Isolde at the end! I was not expecting it and that made it even more impactful and thought-provoking.

I loved the faerie realms and the magic and the adventure and basically all of it. This is exactly the sort of book that I love, complete with reluctant banding together of adventurers for the quest (one of my favorite tropes).

There are a lot of questions left unanswered at the end, but enough of a temporary resolution that I don't feel like it's a cliffhanger exactly. I definitely want to know more, and I can't wait for the next book.

*Thanks to Inkyard Press and Bookishfirst for providing an early copy for review.

Favorite Quotes:

Night doesn’t fall in the Unseelie Realm. Here, night staggers drunkenly, clawing at the blue sky with its dark fingers. Desperate and Hungry.

---

This is a first for me, but some of the quotes that spoke to me the most were actually in the Author's Note rather than the text itself. I decided to include them here because they give important context to the story and to Seelie herself.

From the Author's Note:

How do you write about autism without using the word autism?

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This book was inspired by the theory that changeling mythology is an early description of autistic children…

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I wanted to write a story about someone like me, a story where the autistic character is the center of her own narrative.

---

And if you see yourself in these pages, I want to tell you what I wish someone had told me. You are exactly the way you were meant to be, and you are the hero of your own story.

[signal-failure]

The Very Nice Box

The Very Nice Box

At the beginning of The Very Nice Box, by Eve Gleichman and Laura Blackett, Ava, feels a bit like The Cactus or Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. She’s a successful product designer at STÄDA, who divides her existence into 30-minute units and never deviates from her routine. Her life seems sad and limited, but at least she’s at work on her passion project, the Very Nice Box, which is, uh, a…

[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

[0ptimistprime]

Rules for Vanishing - A Review

Rules for Vanishing was a thrilling ride. I love documentary-styled novels, similar to Sleeping Giants, because it really makes the entire book come to life in a different way than just getting lost in a really good, traditional novel. This book reminded me both of The Blair Witch Project and Broken Girls (young girl goes missing: girls, foul play, and ghosts are suspect), both in the way they tell their stories and the sinister feelings it has lying underneath. This book brings me back to my adolescent age, where everything was an adventure, even the spooky things. As an adult who still loves reading semi-young adult novels and stories, this one read well enough for it to be smack dab in between adult and ya. Don't pass this one up. It's great for a read anytime, but if you're feeling particularly spooky, read this when you're all alone for a good weekend.