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: Keep Your Friends Close by Leah Konen

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Book Review: Keep Your Friends Close by Leah Konen
netgalley arc book review keep your friends close leah konen

Keep Your Friends Close by Leah Konen opens with two moms, Mary and Willa, on the playground with their sons in New York City. They become fast friends after a snarky mom makes a comment about the junk food given as a snack. Suddenly, Willa ghosts Mary for apparently no reason, but while in Woodstock, Mary spots Willa and tries to speak with her. Why is Willa pretending to be someone else?

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley for free in exchange for my honest review. I was intrigued by the synopsis and was thrilled when I found out I was receiving Keep Your Friends Close. Unfortunately, life got in the way, and I got behind in reading and reviewing the book.

The story started off a bit slow but the suspense ended building very nicely. The novel alternated between Mary and Willa as well as had alternating timelines. Because it was told from different perspectives, the reader gets a bit of insight that they wouldn't if it wasn't told this way, and it would be harder to figure out the twists and turns. However, the alternating timelines kept me guessing a little, and things weren't always what they seemed. I did figure out part of the ending but not all of it.

At times, I didn't care for Mary for a couple of reasons. There were times she seemed wishy-washy and other times seemed too needy. Overall, I did enjoy this character. As for Willa, I never really trusted her, but I really wanted to like her and had trouble with that. I'm not going into details as I don't want to give any plotlines away, but I think you'll agree with me. George and Henry were completely unlikable. I think that George could have changed if given the chance, but I think Henry was a lost cause.

All in all, I enjoyed Keep Your Friends Close by Leah Konen and gave it five out of five stars. I look forward to reading more novels by this author as I find myself thinking about this story days after finishing it.

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