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Book Review: Better Than Revenge by Kasie West

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Better Than Revenge by Kasie West is a young adult romance novel with an expected publication date of December 31, 2024. The story opens with Finlay auditioning for the school podcast. Jenson, her boyfriend, decides to audition as well at the last minute and happens to get the position Finlay has been wanting for years. Jenson overheard saying that Finlay is terrible, and Finlay breaks up with him and seeks out to get her revenge by becoming the new starting kicker for the football team. Can Finlay pull off this feat? A big thank you goes out to NetGalley for approving and providing me with an Advanced Readers Copy ARC of Better Than Revenge by Kasie West. I received a copy for free in exchange for my honest review. First and foremost, West did a fantastic job with this story. I was pulled into the storyline right off the bat and had trouble putting it down. Despite it being a young adult romance novel and me not being the target audience, I absolutely loved it!  The author had me ...
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Book Review: Baker and Taylor and the Mystery of the Library Cats by Candy Rodo

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Baker and Taylor and the Mystery of the Library Cats by Candy Rodo is a fun, entertaining children's picture book that makes learning about New York City fun.  The story is about two library cats who go on an adventure to see the library cats at the NYC Library. I'd like to thank NetGalley, Baker & Taylor, and Paw Prints Publishing for the free copy of Baker and Taylor and the Mystery of the Library Cats in exchange for my honest review.  I was drawn to read this book as I love cats, and this book would have been right up my alley as a kid. Author Candy Rodo did a great job in writing this children's book and making it fun for little ones to learn about some of the things to do and see in New York City.  It gives parents a perfect opportunity to take their kids on vacation there to see some of the sites mentioned.  I also like the fact that the main two characters are very different but are still best friends . . . that's an important life lesson right there fo...
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Book Review: Freddie Mercury (Little People, BIG DREAMS) by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara, Illustrated by Ruby Taylor

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Freddie Mercury (Little People, BIG DREAMS) written by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara and illustrated by Ruby Taylor is a non-fiction children's book about the singer Freddie Mercury.  Told in simple sentences with amazing illustrations, this book is perfect for children between the ages of five and eight.  I'd like to thank NetGalley, Quarto Publishing Group, and Frances Lincoln Children's Books for the free, advanced copy of Freddie Mercury in exchange for my honest review. The author does a fantastic job of telling the life of Freddie Mercury in simplistic terms for children.  She does tell about how the musician has AIDS, once had a girlfriend, and ended up with a boyfriend without going into the nitty gritty details that children may not necessarily need to know at their age.  I like the fact that it gives parents the opportunity to answer any questions their children may have. As an adult, I already knew the facts provided in the book, but I love the fact that i...
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Book Review: Who Slayed The Santas? (Juniper Holiday, #3) by Leighann Dobbs

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Who Slayed The Santas? (Juniper Holiday, #3) by Leighann Dobbs was published on December 15, 2022 and opens with Juniper Holiday decorating her Crescent Cove mansion for her Christmas party.  When the Santas she's interviewing for the party start showing up dead on the property, Juniper is determined to find out who the murderer is before the party is ruined. The Juniper Holiday series is fast becoming one of my favorite cozy mystery series.  It just keeps getting better!  All of the characters are such a trip, especially the main character named Juniper Holiday.  Although Who Slayed The Santas? deals with murder, it's such a fun, entertaining read that made me even more excited for Christmas.  This is the perfect book for those who are in a reading rut or looking for a beach read. Five out of five stars is what I give Who Slayed The Santas? (Juniper Holiday, #3) by Leighann Dobbs.  I hope the author keeps writing additional stories for this series. Fol...
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Book Review: Camp Creepy (Sinister Summer, #3) by Kiersten White

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Camp Creepy (Sinister Summer, #3) by Kiersten White has an expected publication date of January 3, 2023 and is the third book in a middle grade series.  The Sinister-Winterbottoms are in pursuit of Edaren't and find themselves at a summer camp that is as mysterious as it is very normal.  When all the campers begin acting strange, and Theo decides to investigate. Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children's, and Delacorte Press for the advanced copy of Camp Creepy (Sinister Summer, #3) by Kiersten White.  I was excited to be approved to read this book for free in exchange for my honest review. Not having read the other two novels in the Sinister Summer book series, I wasn't sure what to expect, but I thought this being a children's book, it would be relatively easy to garner the back story and keep the characters straight.  I did have trouble connecting the dots as far as the back story goes, but I eventually got the gist of it.  And, it did take me a few c...
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Book Review: How The Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss

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How The Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss opens with the Grinch being tired of the Whos of Whoville being happy while making all their preparations for Christmas.  He decides all this merriment must stop and decides to dress up as Santa Claus and steal Christmas from the citizens of Whoville. For whatever reason, my parents never bought me any books written by Dr. Seuss.  When a friend posted a Christmas game on Facebook utilizing the book of How The Grinch Stole Christmas! my family decided to play that particular game on Christmas Eve.  So, of course, we needed to purchase a copy of the book, which I did.  After it came, I decided I needed to read it. The life lesson of the book is that it is always better to give than to take, and that something doesn't come from a store.  It's a super cute book to read before Christmas to put you in the spirit.  I don't know what I expected, but I did expect more.  I gave How The Grinch Stole Christmas! three...
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Book Review: Christmas, Cabernet, and Chaos (A Sally and Pearl Adventure, #2) by Wendy Day

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Christmas, Cabernet, and Chaos (A Sally and Pearl Adventure, #2) by Wendy Day opens with Sally and her best friend Pearl going off to sing karaoke the night before Thanksgiving.  The next day, Sally learns that none of her children will be home for Christmas, she becomes depressed.  Shortly there after, Sally receives a phone call, and Pearl and her are off to spend the Christmas holidays with their friend Mike in the idyllic Christmas town of McKenzie Bridge where a local woman claims someone is trying to murder her. I'd like to thank NetGalley for the free copy of Christmas, Cabernet, and Chaos (A Sally and Pearl Adventure, #2) by Wendy Day in exchange for my honest review.  The title of the novel caught my attention as I wanted a book centered around Christmas to read.  I was excited to learn that I had been approved to read this book. When I requested to read this book, I didn't know it was the second book in a series, but that was okay as the author did a fabu...
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Book Review: Is A Worry Worrying You? by Ferida Wolff and Harriet May Savitz, Illustrated by Marie Le Tourneau

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Is A Worry Worrying You? by Ferida Wolff and Harriet May Savitz, Illustrated by Marie Le Tourneau is a children's picture book that addresses worries that kids have with humor and gives kids a way to cope with their fears.  I'd like to thank NetGalley and Tanglewood for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was absolutely enchanted by this book.  Everyone worries, and I love how the authors dealt with this topic.  The main take away for kids is that there is always something you can do about the worry.  Is A Worry Worrying You? gives parents the perfect opportunity to discuss the topic with their children and should be on every child's bookshelf.  It even gives children the power to get rid of their worries themselves.  The illustrations were fantastic and were reminiscent of something that Tim Burton would do, which is a great thing in my opinion as I love his work. This book turned out to be so much more than what I was expecting....
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Book Review: Knot A Game (Yarn Retreat Mystery, #9) by Betty Hechtman

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Knot A Game (Yarn Retreat Mystery, #9) by Betty Hechtman opens with Casey Feldstein meeting with one of the owners at the Vista Del Mar to discuss an upcoming retreat.  Madeline has come up with an idea of combining a murder mystery game with the typical yarn retreat that Casey normally does.  When one of the guests ends up being murdered, things go awry. I'd like to thank NetGalley and and Beyond the Page Publishing for approving my request to read this novel.  The synopsis including a bit about a murder mystery game that sounded similar to playing the board game Clue really intrigued me. Having never read a book written by Betty Hechtman before, I wasn't sure what to expect as cozy mystery novels have always been hit or miss with me.  However, I was pleasantly surprised to find Knot A Game to be well written, engaging, and an all around fun read.  I enjoyed it so much that I'm looking forward to purchasing all the other books that came before this one in th...
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