#peaches and honey by r. raeta

[godsfavdarling]

november 2024 book wrap up

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë ☆☆☆☆☆

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang ☆☆

Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors ☆☆

The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber ☆☆☆☆

Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor ☆☆☆☆

Phantasma by Kaylie Smith ☆

Kobieta, która kochała owady by Selja Ahava ☆☆☆

All Fours by Miranda July ☆☆☆☆

Pits & Poison by R. Raeta ☆☆☆☆

My monthly book wrap ups My goodreads I mostly read on my e-reader so have only three physical books :( I have to buy all fours for sure! and it's even been translated into my language already!

Well... this month was an interesting one for reading... On the one hand, I read a lot, but on the other... was it good? There were definitely some gems, but also far more flops than I could tolerate. To be fair, the last few months were exceptional reading-wise, and we all know the occasional flop is unavoidable, maybe even necessary, to truly appreciate the good when it comes. Still, I can’t wait for the year to be over. December is all about finishing what I’ve started, and I’m already excited about the stories I'm planning to dive into in 2025!

But let’s rewind and talk about this month’s highlights and lowlights...

Jane Eyre was phenomenal! It's easily one of my favorite reads of the year. Honestly, I loved it even more than Wuthering Heights. The atmosphere (gothic - love), the characters (jane- she's just like me fr), and the depth (It's still so relevant today)—it all clicked perfectly for me.

I buddy-read The Poppy War with a friend, and unfortunately, unlike her, I didn’t enjoy it. I had high hopes for a 5-star experience, but there were just too many things that didn’t work for me. By the time I finished, I thought I’d let it go and not continue the series, but�� my OCD won’t let me leave things unfinished. Plus, a part of me is curious about how it all unfolds. Maybe I just read it at the wrong time in my life? Either way, I’ll be pushing forward, maybe even this month.

Then I FINALLY finished Cleopatra and Frankenstein—it took me almost a year. Honestly, it was just... meh. The cover claims it’s 'for fans of Ottessa Moshfegh and Phoebe Waller-Bridge' .... don’t piss me off. I made a separate short post if you want to read more about it.

Next up were Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor and The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber

I decided to focus on wrapping up some fantasy series I’d started earlier this year, and these two were solid sequels! I’m so excited to see how both series end. Also, can we talk about how underrated Daughter of Smoke and Bone is? I know it’s an older series, but why isn’t anyone reading it? It’s so unique, weird, and even a little gross—and I love that!!!!!

Phantasma... I don’t even want to talk about it. I keep seeing people give it high ratings, and it’s just pissing me off.

Kobieta, która kochała owady (Nainen joka rakasti hyönteisiä) is a Finnish novel that had been sitting on my shelf for about a year—it was a Christmas gift from my brother—and I finally picked it up. It was… okay. Not amazing, but enjoyable enough. Sadly, as far as I know, there’s no English translation yet, so I won’t go into detail. But if you love “weird girl” literature, this fits right in.

All Fours by Miranda July... Oh boy. I need to read more of her work. Lucy Dacus described her writing on Goodreads as making her feel like she’s “allowed to exist,” and I couldn’t have put it better myself. This book was a fantastic exploration of monogamy, marriage, aging, menopause, parenting, and sexuality—with just a sprinkle of madness. Absolutely brilliant.

I wrapped up the month with Pits & Poison, a second book in a duology Peaches & Honey, and let me tell you—if you have Kindle Unlimited, go read it now!! This is what I mean when I talk about romantasy. It’s a fantasy series heavily centered on love and romance, but it’s not riddled with cringy, unnecessary smut. The romance felt real. I believed in their love. Everything just made sense. That’s what I want from romantasy. The first book might’ve been my favorite ? but overall, it’s a beautiful series I’d recommend to anyone who loves romance and fantasy (historical fantasy). I’m obsessed with how well it all came together. It was a breath of fresh air!

[bookishly-andy]

“Peaches and Honey” by @rraeta

*made by me, but not my pictures*

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

🩷 What to Read After Watching Wicked 💚

❓ Have you seen Wicked yet (& what did you think?) OR who is your favorite fictional witch?

🩷 Night of the Witch - Beth Revis and Sara Raasch 💚 The Fate of Magic - Beth Revis and Sara Raasch 🩷 Toto - AJ Hackwith 💚 Lunar Chronicles - Marissa Meyer 🩷 Wild is the Witch - Rachel Griffin 💚 Bring Me Your Midnight - Rachel Griffin 🩷 The Nature of Witches - Rachel Griffin 💚 Never After series by Emily McIntire 🩷 The Poisons We Drink - Bethany Baptiste 💚 Heartless Hunter - Kristen Ciccarelli 🩷 Bury Your Gays - Chuck Tingle 💚 The Fairytale Life of Dorothy Gale - Virginia Kantra

🩷 Unnaturally Green - Felicia Ricci 💚 Motherthing - Ainslie Hogarth 🩷 Dark Oz - Geneva Monroe 💚 Perfume and Pain - Anna Dorn 🩷 Kingdom of the Wicked - Kerri Maniscalco 💚 Circe - Madeline Miller 🩷 Peaches & Honey - R. Raeta 💚 We Love the Nightlife - Rachel Koller Croft 🩷 Tin - Amber R Duell 💚 Spelled - Betsy Schow 🩷 Dorothy Must Die - Danielle Paige 💚 Was - Geoff Ryman

[tolerateit]

btw!! those of you who enjoyed reading addie larue, peaches and honey by r raeta might be something worth having on your radar! the character dynamics are very different but i can definitely sense some similar themes, maybe give it a try <3

[notevenashes]

"A chill skirts up her spine. The sudden, horrifying realization that he isn't just speaking to the crowd, but to every citizen tuned into the radio. A disease of hate spreading across the airwaves, sinking its plagued teeth into any ear that will listen. A virus."

R. Raeta, Peaches and Honey

[guyliners]

This is basically peaches and honey by r raeta in case yall needed a rec

The abandoned child you’ve taken in sleeps on your lap as the god who gave you immortality softly warns you. “This will hurt.”

[kittttycakes]

July Reading Roundup

This month, I read:

The Fraud - Zadie Smith

The Husbands - Holly Gramazio

Fantasticland - Mike Bockoven

The Color Purple - Alice Walker

Peaches and Honey - R. Raeta

I Who Have Never Known Men - Jacqueline Harpman

Dreadful - Caitlin Rozakis

Favorite of the month was absolutely The Husbands, would very much recommend.

[cipherninethousand]

Tandem read! This is actually a little late, as I'm a good chunk into Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn, but I'm glad I chose to read it this way. Tower of Dawn so far is...a lot more sedately paced than the other.

In between Queen of Shadows and this tandem read, I did finish Peaches and Honey: These Immortal Truths by R. Raeta, and also FINALLY finished Iron Flame. First one - the build up between the two main characters was so sweet and carefully done, but I feel let down at the end - maybe because it is a duology. Iron Flame ripped out my heart and stomped on it. January 25 can't come fast enough.

[critical-quoter]

June Books

It's a birthday month! I plan on sneaking more book purchases into the house because I'm apparently on a "book-buying ban." But I also don't listen to men, so I will not abide by my husband's "decrees." My reading also slowed down significantly; I'm blaming the new job and having to pay attention while I train.

Wicked Heir - Mila Kane ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Savage Throne - Mila Kane ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Fragile Sanctuary - Catherine Cowles ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Stolen Touches - Neva Altaj ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Cruel King - Rina Kent ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Suffer in Silence - Kelsey Clayton ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Screams in Symphony - Kelsey Clayton ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Deal - Elle Kennedy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Bass and Trouble - Cathleen Cole Frank Jensen ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Fallen Jester - Devney Perry ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Never Marry Your Brother's Best Friend - Lauren Landish ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Maneater - Emily Antoinette ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Dirty Score - Skye Jordan ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Peaches and Honey - R. Raeta ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Pits and Poison - R. Raeta ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ My Brutal Alpha - Jupiter Belle ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Owe Me One - Kay Cove ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Feverburn - Maggie Maren ⭐️ The Puck Drop - Jaqueline Snow ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Mother Faker - Brittanee Nicole ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Twisted Lies - Ana Huang ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Consequence - L. Knight ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Love, Theoretically - Ali Hazelwood ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A Little Twist - Tia Louise ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Talk Dirty, Cowboy - Elle Thorpe ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Filthy Heir - Drew Jordan ⭐️ Fifty Shades Darker - E. L. James ⭐️⭐️⭐️ No Simple Lie - Samantha Christy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ These Two Wrongs - J. Wolf ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Darker - E. L. James ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Shadows of You - Catherine Cowles ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Purity - Skyler Mason ⭐️ Reclaiming What's Mine - Elizabella Baker ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Ruckus - L. J. Shen ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Start a War - Elle Thorpe ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Collision - Kristen Granata ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Always Her Love - Melissa Foster ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Wheeler - Samantha Whiskey ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Weak Side - S. J. Sylvis ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Campus Player - Jennifer Sucevic ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Fangirl and the Grump - Piper James ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Half the Battle - Elle Thorpe ⭐️⭐️ Leather & Lark - Brynne Weaver ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ No One Has to Know - Carin Hart ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Borderlands Princess - Ophelia Wells Langley ⭐️ Rewriting the Stars - Claire Kingsley ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Fifty Shades Freed - E. L. James ⭐️⭐️ Ice Bet - S. J. Sylvis ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Too Much - I. A. Dice ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Fresh Meet - Jasmin Miller ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Hush - Cathleen Cole & Frank Jensen ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Belladonna - Adalyn Grace ⭐️ Rescuing Harmony Ranch - Jennie Marts ⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Recessive Dilemma - R. J. Stevens ⭐️ King of Pride - Ana Huang ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Luciano - Eva Winters ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Russian Roulette - Heather Carmel ⭐️⭐️

57 total books read for June 2024

[bookishly-andy]

If I only had one sentence to describe this book, it would probably be “A love/hate letter to human mortality”. Although, “It’s freaking amazing” could also work.

First of all, I would say that there isn’t much of a plot, and it’s a character driven book, with humanity as one of its main characters. And that’s the magical beauty of it. We do follow one specific character, Anna, and her eight century long, life journey through immortality, granted by a god with the help of a peach. Simple enough.

However, eight hundred years is a long time. People change. The world changes. And the human race isn’t the most forgiving when it comes to hard times. Anna discovers this soon enough, and through every chapter we ‘re reminded of our own true history (disguised in this fantasy). Our wars, our hunger, our pain. Many important events that changed the lives of each and every person living at this very moment.

The book invites us to reflect on the bad that we’ve done, but also in the beauty of our nature. Of the precious gifts that we give for granted. On the smallest details that we carry in our everyday lives. There’s no light without some darkness, and we live through a careful balance of both. Anna is the messenger of this letter addressed to us.

But of course, there’s more laced into it, as is the romance Anna gets enveloped by through the years, but that felt more like a secondary trait of the book. Still, it was sweet watching it develop little by little.

All in all, the writing is delicious, the message is powerful, and the characters are relatable. Absolutely loved it.

[bookishly-andy]

“Not everyone can be saved.” —Peaches and Honey

[godsfavdarling]

My Monthly Book Wrap-Ups 2024

47/35 my goodreads I re-entered my reading era in March, so there are no previous months

March

A Court of Thorns and Roses by SJM ☆☆

A Court of Mist and Fury by SJM ☆☆☆

Bride by Ali Hazelwood ☆

My Husband by Maud Ventura ☆☆☆☆☆

A Court of Wings and Ruin by SJM ☆☆

Unfurl by Elodie Hart ☆☆☆

April

Happy Place by Emily Henry ☆☆☆☆

A Court of Frost and Starlight by SJM ☆

The Yellow Wall-Paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman ☆☆☆☆☆

Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu ☆☆☆☆

A Report for an Academy by Franz Kafka ☆☆☆☆

One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig ☆☆☆☆☆

Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig ☆☆☆☆☆

May

Bliss by Katherine Mansfield ☆☆☆☆

Priest by Sierra Simone ☆

June

Funny Story by Emily Henry ☆☆☆☆☆

Peaches & Honey by R. Raeta ☆☆☆☆☆

Bartleby, the Scrivener by Herman Melville ☆☆☆

One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig (reread)

July

Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig (reread)

Beach Read by Emily Henry ☆☆☆☆

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones ☆☆☆☆

A Court of Silver Flames by SJM ☆

The Serpent and the Wings of the Night by Carissa Broadbent ☆☆☆☆

August

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer ☆☆☆☆☆

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor ☆☆☆☆☆

People We Meet On Vacation by Emily Henry ☆☆☆☆

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid ☆☆☆☆

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn ☆☆☆☆☆

Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber ☆☆☆☆

September

The Girl Who Slept with God by Val Berlinski ☆☆☆☆☆

Sunburn by Chloe Michelle Howarth ☆☆☆☆☆

October

Where The Dark Stands Still by A.B Poranek ☆☆☆☆☆

My Throat an Open Grave by Tori Bovalino ☆☆☆☆☆

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë ☆☆☆☆☆

Normal People by Sally Rooney (reread) ☆☆☆☆☆

Intermezzo by Sally Rooney ☆☆☆☆☆

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson ☆☆☆☆

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro ☆☆☆☆

November

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë ☆☆☆☆☆

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang ☆☆

Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors ☆☆

The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber ☆☆☆☆

Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor ☆☆☆☆

Phantasma by Kaylie Smith ☆

Kobieta, która kochała owady by Selja Ahava ☆☆☆

All Fours by Miranda July ☆☆☆☆

Pits & Poison by R. Raeta ☆☆☆☆

December

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab ☆☆☆☆

The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King by Carissa Broadbent ☆☆

Dreams of Gods & Monsters by Laini Taylor

The Six Deaths of the Saint by Alix E. Harrow

The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang

[godsfavdarling]

june 2024 book wrap up

Funny Story by Emily Henry ☆☆☆☆☆

Peaches & Honey by R. Raeta ☆☆☆☆☆

Bartleby, the Scrivener by Herman Melville ☆☆☆

One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig (reread)

I had a few exams and the semester was ending, so I haven't read much. I'm planning to read a lot this summer though! I read Emily Henry's Funny Story and Beach Read! I liked Funny Story better! An immediate favorite for sure! It just hit me really hard, very unexpectedly. Funny how Happy Place hit my friend very hard, and I had the same experience with Funny Story. Loved both of the characters and loved to see them fall in love! Beach Read was still very good! I loved it! It was very millennial (I say that with the most love).

I also read Peaches & Honey by R. Reata! Also loved it! It's everything I love about fantasy! I realize I might not enjoy most trending fantasy/romantasy books because they are all very similar. I enjoy stuff that is more original? A bit different? Anyway… for anybody who loves subtle fantasy and historical stuff with a cute romance in the background, they should check it out! Also, it's quite short! It's a little treat! I kind of love how not grand it is. It's not trying to be epic even though the story has potential to be stretched out to a five-book, 500-page series. Can't wait to read the second part!

Speaking of my favorite fantasy, I reread One Dark Window and now I'm one-third into The Twisted Crowns. I loved it so much I had to reread it. AND I NEVER REREAD BOOKS. I can't name one book I've reread. I don't do that, so you can see how obsessed I am. Anyway, I am rereading them in Polish (my native language) and the translation… kind of sucks, kind of ruined the book. Also… SO MANY MISTAKES. I started taking photos of all of them, and I might be sending an email to the publisher because this is sick and twisted. I didn't pay for physical copies just to have them filled with mistakes. Maybe I'm being dramatic, but they really pissed me off because the story is so good and so beautifully written, and they are ruining it!

In June, I also was reading The Serpent and the Wings of the Night, got pissed off 130 pages in when the main girl thought the main guy could probably fuck real good (meanwhile she is terrified of him and won't trust him. Don't piss me off). I'll finish it soon though… I hate DNF-ing books.

Oh, and here as a little treat, given we are halfway into the year, I made a silly little tier list with everything I've read so far!

my other wrap-ups, my goodreads