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: Claire, Darling by Callie Kazumi

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Suspense NetGalley ARC Book Review of Claire, Darling by Callie Kazumi
Claire, Darling by Callie Kazumi was published on March 11, 2025 by Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine / Bantam. It opens with Claire finding out that her fiancé, Noah, isn't working where he said he was and is now ghosting her. Claire must find out why.
Book Review: Claire, Darling by Callie Kazumi

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine / Bantam for providing me with an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of Claire Darling by Callie Kazumi for free in exchange for my honest review. I was absolutely thrilled when my request for a copy was approved because the synopsis was so good.

From the beginning, I absolutely loved the main character of Claire and her work friend named Sukhi. Throughout the novel, we learn about Claire's past and how terrible her mother was towards her. I kept hoping that somehow we would learn who Claire's father was and would eventually connect with him. It's really no wonder Claire had no self confidence as an adult, but I really empathized with her and liked her. 

Sukhi is the best friend that a woman could ask for! She always has Claire's back no matter what and sticks by her. I disliked Noah immensely. He's a complete jerk who is constantly cheating on everyone! As for Lilah, you couldn't exactly blame her for the way she acted and didn't deserve what happened to her.

Throughout the entire story, I was totally team Claire and was rooting for her. That is until the end of the book, which totally blindsided me. I dislike unreliable characters intensely. I know this is a bit of a spoiler, but I have to mention this was the reason I ended up giving Claire, Darling by Callie Kazumi only four stars out of five stars ... well, that and I hate bad endings. It gave off vibes of The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins and Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. Up until the ending, I was completely enchanted with the story and couldn't wait to find out what happened. 

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