Book Review: All the Ice Cream in the Land by Emmy Kastner

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All the Ice Cream in the Land  by Emmy Kastner  is about a princess, the kingdom she lives in, and her loyal subjects. Full of twists and turns, children will surely delight in this story about ice cream. When I saw the title and cover art of this kid's book, it made me instantly think of my childhood and how I would've loved a book like this one. A huge shout out and thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for approving my request to read this book. I received a copy for free in exchange for my honest review. The storyline is very easy to follow, making it especially suitable for toddlers, preschoolers, and early readers, particularly children between the ages of two and six. Its straightforward narrative and clear structure make it an excellent choice for read-aloud sessions at home, bedtime stories, or classroom story time. While there is limited character development, which is typical for a picture book format, the princess is still an intere...
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Book Review: The Summer Party by Rebecca Heath

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Book Review of The Summer Party by Rebecca Heath
The Summer Party by Rebecca Heath is a psychological thriller due out on January 5, 2023 and about Lucy Ross coming back to her childhood summer home in Queen's Point, Australia to pack up her grandmother's belongings.  When a dead body is found coincides with Lucy's return, she finds herself and her wealthy childhood friends being questioned in the murder.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and Head of Zeus for the Advanced Readers Copy of The Summer Party by Rebecca Heath.  I was thrilled to be approved to receive this book for free in exchange for my honest review.

Told from alternating time lines, this book started off slowly for me, but as I got further into the story, it really picked up for me.  I found myself wanting to rush through the novel to see the who, what, when, and how, especially since I was leaning towards one of two people being the murderer.  There were quite a few red herrings, but when it came down to who the murderer was, I was a bit shocked and didn't see it coming.

As far as characters go, I really liked Lucy Ross, and at first, I really like Jake.  However, the further into the story I got, and the more I learned about Jake, I started disliking him.  You'll see what I mean if you read the book!  Other than that, I didn't really like any of the other characters with the exception of Lucy's stepdaughter . . . the more we learned about her, the more I liked the character.

I also really liked Lucy's dog despite me being a cat lover.  With that being said, there was one situation with the dog that made my heart sink . . . I thought the dog was going to die, but he didn't.  I really don't like it when bad things happen to animals.  Yes, I know, it's a work of fiction, but those type of things really upset me being an animal lover.

All in all, this was an intriguing read that kept me guessing. I gave The Summer Party by Rebecca Heath four out of five stars.  As mentioned before, the expected publication of this novel is January 5, 2023.
 
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