Back in 2019 when it was announced that we were getting a series called American Royals that had the United States still having a monarchy, I was immediately enthralled. I love anything royals, obviously, so the fact that we were getting a book where America had a monarchy, descending from George Washington, the first king of America was right up my alley.

Originally, American Royals was only supposed to be a standalone book, and then it was extended to have a sequel, then a third book and finally the publisher's caught on that readers were obsessed and continued to allow Katharine McGee to write.

I've reviewed a few of the American Royals books on the blog over the years (linked below) so it feels only right that I would conclude the journey with a review of the final book in the series, 'Reign'. 

Back in 2011, I read the Hunger Games series along with the rest of the teenage/young adult population. I was intrigued at first and looking for something to replace Twilight. I read the first book with ease and Catching Fire was intriguing but Mockingjay, the final book, was so confusing. I was also reading it in the middle of pledging my sorority so my brain was fried. I still don't even really know what happened and when I watch the movies, I'm equally lost. 

As I mentioned in last week's Book Review Wednesday, I'm really into books. I've finished like 4 books in the past few days, whether that was audiobooks or real books, but I'm making great headway.

I've learned that I read faster when I have an actual book so I've been upping the hardcover (or paperback) book game.

However, this was the last audiobook I read and it really threw me for a loop.

I'm not really sure where I heard about "Pretty Girls Dancing" from but I'm glad I did. It's the classic kidnapping story where a missing girl sends everyone into a frenzy.

You have her parents, her sister, and the local cop all giving their POV throughout the book which creates some depth and gives you more insight into how people are dealing with this tragedy.



However, this book is slightly different because it deals with a serial kidnapper and two missing girls.

Whitney goes missing after meeting a boy she talked to online, and the town wonders if this is the same kidnapper that took Kelsey, 7 years ago.

We see Kelsey's parents and sister's POV and how the kidnapping of Whitney is affecting them. We also get an inside look at how they've dealt with their missing daughter/sister over the past 7 years.

Kelsey has massive social anxiety, her mother is a borderline drug addict, and her father is a workaholic.

Then we have Mark Foster, the detective on Whitney's case who is doing his best to find the missing girl alive. When he starts to notice a few similar things between Whitney and Kesley's cases, he does some deep digging to figure out the case and hopefully bring both girls home alive.

I really enjoyed this book and I found myself speeding up the reading rate to find out what happened even faster. I basically couldn't stop listening and even when I was so close to finding out the truth, I had to listen to the end of the book at home (I am very strict in that I only listen to audiobooks on my commute but this couldn't wait).

I thought all the characters were well developed without having too much detail because really, the story wasn't about them. You also read quite a bit in Whitney's point of view, and you so badly were rooting for her against the kidnapper.

I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop in terms of goriness but I was glad that this book didn't have any sexual abuse. Sometimes, that really sends me over the edge so a good classic, kidnapping is fine with me.

You will have your ideas through the book who the kidnapper is, and the author will even throw you off a few times but when you do find out, it's well worth it and is a juicy little twist.

This wasn't too dark and twisted but had some nice mystery elements to it so I recommend, even if this genre doesn't thrill you (pun intended).

What are you currently reading?
xoxo
B

My reading habit has picked back up and is really better than ever. I am invested in all the books I'm reading and wanted to try something new, from a new author.

Cass Green caught my eye with this "In A Cottage in a Wood" novel. It's based around a woman, Neve, who comes across Isabelle on a bridge (in England) one stormy night. Suddenly, the woman jumps off the bridge and leaves Neve in the dust.

Afterwards, Neve's life falls apart (more than it already was) and just when she needs it most, Isabelle sends her a gift from beyond the grave.

Isabelle leaves Neve a cottage in a small village outside of London.

With nowhere to live, and nowhere to really go but up, Neve travels to the cottage that now belongs to her and is surprised at what she finds...



A cottage that holds a lot of secrets about Isabelle, and the life she lived.

Along the way, Neve discovers a lot about herself and it all comes crashing down in an epic twist at the end.

It was a twist I didn't see coming and was top 5, one of the best twists I've discovered in these mystery books.

I loved listening to this book because the narrators were really great, and I love anyone who talks to me in a British accent.

*Has anyone else noticed that so many of these types of novels always take place in England?

This was sort of a slow moving book, and it was a little weird because I didn't understand how or why Isabelle left this cottage to NEve -- and at the end it made total sense.

I also wasn't a huge fan of Neve as a protagonist. She was a bit annoying and I just wanted to scream at her at certain points; it was silly things like her thought process and her actions.

This book didn't have me on the edge of my seat the entire time, however, the twist at the end was raelly worth it and it was a very interesting story. There were a lot of sub plot lines woven into the big picture and it was great to see it all play out.

It was a quick listen/read so I highly recommend if you need something to get you by!

*There are rarely books that I DON'T like so I know it seems that I give every book a glowing review.

What have you read recently?
xoxo
B

This is the latest book I listened to, and it was probably my favorite book of the entire year.

Once again, I've been on a suspense kick and after reading the summary of this newly released novel, I immediately knew it was for me.

It centers around Nicolette, who left her hometown in South Carolina when she was 18 years old, after her best friend, Corrine, went missing. She left behind her dad, brother, and boyfriend Tyler. She left home and never really looked back... classic start for a novel.

Nicolette has a good job, is settled into her studio apartment, and has a gorgeous, rich, lawyer fiancee.  Well, of course now she has to return home because her father is sick and her brother needs her help.

The moment that Nicolette steps back into her hometown, everything comes flooding back to her, and another girl goes missing... almost 10 years to the day of Corrine going missing.



What unravels is a lot of secrets, and it's all really exciting. I love novels like this, that have the main character coming back to their secrets and lies, and everything they left behind. It's fun to watch it unravel and come to light.

The writing in this box was superb; I mean, it was one of the best written books I've ever read. It has everything: suspense, comedy, romance, family drama. It was incredible.

All the characters were very likable, and the author did an amazing job of getting their personalities across and making you understand what was going through their heads. Everything was very descriptive, almost to the point where I forgot what I was reading...at times it read more like poetry than an actual novel and I loved that. It really worked for the plot of the book.

With all good suspense books, there was a huge twist toward the end of the book that made the entire story come together; it was told in a very anti-climatic way but I didn't expect anything less because of the way this book was written.

It wasn't like Gone Girl, or The Girl on the Train... it was in a genre all its own.

As I said above, I listened to this book but I almost want to read it to get a different feel for it.

This was definitely one of my top 5 books of the year and I 100% recommend it!

I'm currently in a whirlwind love affair with suspense novels, but right before it started I listened to a great book called "The Singles Game". It was a super light read/quick listen and it really kept my attention.

The plot centers around Charlie, a pro tennis player, who lives 50 out of 52 weeks of the year on the road. She's not a huge, famous player but should be. She wants to be, but feels limited in her personality, sport, and most importantly: her coach.



A huge mishap happens at a major tournament and it sends Charlie's life into a tailspin, and the true story begins.

The book was really entertaining, had multiple subplots, and even though the storyline was a little cheesy, there were quite a few surprises along the way. It wasn't suspenseful but I was excited to see how Charlie handled everything thrown at her, and how each characters' stories turned out.

It was a little anti climatic toward the end, but all in all everything was in it's place.

What I most enjoyed about the book? Tennis! There was a huge focus on tennis and it's not a sport that I'm very familiar with. It was so interesting to read about it and learn more about an unknown sport. It borderline made me want to take up tennis as a hobby!

You don't need a knowledge of tennis to understand the book, but it would definitely make things a little more interesting and you may even like it more.

All in all, this was a really great book. It was a typical chick-lit type of book, an easy beach read, but also entertaining. It wasn't the typical happy ending, but it wasn't a total let down.

What was a surprisingly good book you've read recently? Give me suggestions in the comments!

You can also always find my latest reads on my Goodreads page!

I was really excited to read Sweetbitter. It was one of those books where the cover drew me in just as much as the summary did.

It was described as a coming of age novel, a girl coming to New York and figuring out her way. It sounded like I would love it -- who doesn't love a good "coming of age novel"?

Uh, well I was surely mistaken.



The book follows around Tess, who moves to New York from I'm assuming New Jersey (not that far from home), and she gets a job at the best restaurant in town. Almost the entire book is about her working at this restaurant/wine bar and the cast of characters that comes through the doors.

Still, it doesn't sound so bad.

Well, it was.

My goodness, I really hated this book. I couldn't wait for it to be over. I listened to it on Audible and it was incredibly long. I didn't stop listening to it because I thought it would pick up and something truly shocking would happen.

It never did.

This was one of the most anti-climatic books ever, and Tess was a very annoying protagonist. She was very whiny, and I really didn't feel bad for her at any point in the book, even though she played the victim very well.

There was a lot of drugs and drinking in the book; the book was all over the place, jumping from one scene to another without wrapping up the previous scene. I felt like it moved at a glacial pace and nothing ever really happened.

I couldn't even tell you what the book was about, because none of it made sense. I think it was supposed to be a little poetic, that's what some reviews said, but it was just too much for me. I felt like I really didn't understand what was going on half the time.

I usually don't write this negative of a review of a book, but I know that this book has gotten a lot of hype, and a lot of people want to read it; if you've been reading my Book Review Wednesday series for a while, and have similar taste as me, don't waste your time. This book was all over the place.

What was a bad book you read lately?

The Selection has been on my reading list for YEARS. I'd say for a good 2-3 years. The synposis is intriguing: the Hunger Games meets The Bachelor; 35 women from all different areas and castes of this new country, Illea, come together to fight for the crown...and the heart of Prince Maxon.

The Selection as it is called, is a competition to find Prince Maxon a wife and the next Queen of Illea.  The novel never tells us when this takes place, but as the story goes on, it seems to be far in the future. They tell us that there have been two new world wars, making the total 4, and it sounds like the United States are broken up into different areas, each fit with their own caste. Two being the highest, Eight being the lowest of the low.

The main story/plot is told throughout 3 books; The Selection, The Elite, and The One.

Our main character is America, a five, who gets thrown into the competition by her current boyfriend, a seven, Aspen. He doesn't think he could give her what she needs so he recommend she join The Selection, to get a bit of money and to have a shot at something different.

America is stubborn, fights Aspen and her family on this decision, but eventually says yes and joins the competition-- she is, to her surprise, chosen as one of the 35 women.

The story rolls on from there over the course of the three novels and my goodness, it's addictive. If you follow me on Twitter, you know that I read all 3 books in one night. I woke up in the middle of the night, around 1 AM and didn't go back to sleep till the 3rd book was finished, at 7 AM. That's how good these books are.

I haven't done that since my Twilight days and it felt really good.



I simply could not put the book down, I needed to know what was happening between Aspen, America, and Maxon. I needed to know which girl Maxon would pick, or if everyone would find out each other's deepest, darkest secrets. I needed to know everything-- I was completely enveloped in the drama.

This is probably my top 5 favorite book series to date, and I'm an addict of book series. There was something so magical, whimsical, and dramatic about these books. You get invested in the characters and their stories and you just can't stop reading. That's what I deem as a great book series.

There are additional stories to these novels, which I will be covering over the next few weeks. Those books are JUST AS GOOD.

It's been a while since I've felt this way about a book, my words don't do my love for The Selection justice.

Kiera Cass is my new favorite author, just saying!

What have you read & fallen in love with recently?