Book Funsies, Tags

Blogmas Day 2: Tag Thursday – NetGalley Tag!

Maren @ MarenBoBarenReads

auto Approved
Who’s one author whose books you automatically want to read, regardless of what they’re about?

Meg Cabot

I will legit buy and read anything Meg Cabot writes. They are all insta buys for me the day they come out. I’ve been reading her since early Princess Diaries days, and love both her YA and Adult works. If she’s written it, I’ve read it. I also have multiple copies of a good number of her books because my sister and I will both buy them, lose one, and buy a replacement. Leaving us with 2 or 3 copies. We definitely have 3 copies of the first Mediator book…

Other authors I would insta buy/request:

  • Sarah J Maas
  • Cassandra Clare
  • Mary Pearson
  • Ashley Poston
  • Maria V Snyder
  • Rachel Hawkins
  • Marissa Meyer
  • ….ok I should stop now…this is why I have so many books

Request
What makes you want to request a book that you see on NetGalley?

It can depend on a few things. First, if it’s an author I’ve read and enjoyed I’ll typically request it without even needing to give the synopsis a once over. If the title or cover grabs me then I’ll read the synopsis to see if it’s something I’ll like. The other thing that will push a book over the edge is if it’s a debut author. Thanks to my sister being an author, I understand how much early reviews and feedback is for a debut author, so I like to grab those when I can.

Feedback Ratio
Do you review every book you read? If not, how do you decide what books to review?

I know I should, but I don’t. My ratio percentage was a respectable 91% recently, but I just was approved for a wave of books so I’m down to 57%. Sometimes if a book really doesn’t gel with me story wise I won’t review it because that’s not really the fault of the author. I don’t really give negative reviews unless the writing or editing was particularly bad. But if I don’t vibe with a storyline, I won’t review a book usually. At least on NetGalley. Sometimes I’ll still do reviews on goodreads.

Badges
If you could create your own badge to display on your blog, what would it be for?

I wish I could have a badge that says how many pages I have read in my history of NetGalley and/or Goodreads. That would make me feel far more powerful than I normally would (or need to).

Wish for It
What’s one book that you are absolutely dying to read?

Can I only choose one? Because, like, there’s a lot of books I’m insanely looking forward to. As of right now, it’s probably Chain of Thorns by Cassandra Clare. Might seem like an easy answer, but man, that cliffhanger killed me. The other one that I have been waiting to get approved for is the next Tirzah Price book Sense and Second Degree Murder. Tirzah, if you’re reading this, tell your publisher to let me in!

NetGalley Challenge
What was the last book that you received as an ARC that you reviewed? If you’ve never received an ARC, what’s the last book you reviewed?

When You Get The Chance by Emma Lord. I loved her book. Her review is up on my blog from earlier this week I think. She is another author that is, at this point an insta buy.

Book Funsies, TBR

Blogmas Day 1: December TBR

Maren @ MarenBoBarenReads

Ok December. I need to finish 13 books in you. Do you hear me? If I read 13 books this month I’ll hit my goal of 48 books this year. I had such a strong start to the year, and then between August and November I read like 1 book. That really set me back. Like most months, I plan on predominantly reading YA Fantasy, but there might be a contemporary book or two in there!

I tried to somewhat order them in the order I plan to read them, but it get’s a little muddy at the end. I want to finish out the Falling Kingdoms series for sure. But we’ll see where I go after that. I just got Perfect on Paper in in my bookmail so that’s high up there, but I also just excitedly got approved for ARCs of both A Forgery of Roses and In Every Generation (and as Buffy is my literal favorite TV show, you can see why this would be high on my list!).

And for a better rundown (with links to their goodreads pages):

What are all of you reading/planning/hoping to read in December?

Book Funsies, Wrap-Up

November Wrap-Up

Maren @ MarenBoBarenReads

Hey ya’ll!!! November was a pretty good reading month for me. I was on bedrest with a torn MCL for 2+ weeks, so you would think I would have read way more, but did I? Nope. Instead I binged watched the entire Attack on Titan series (Sasha is best girl and nobody can do anything to sway me from that opinion), did a lot of art tutorials on my iPad, and worked from home as much as possible so I didn’t have to burn through my precious PTO(the perks of working in IT).

Still, I read 4 books, so that’s pretty good considering I had to keep up with my night classes too! I really enjoyed all of them too! One was a re-read, The Princess Diaries. One was a MUCH anticipated trilogy ender, Aurora’s End, my boy Fin looking so handsome on the cover! Then was the first book in a series I have owned for ages, but never got around to reading, Falling Kingdoms, this was prolly my least favorite of the 4, but I still enjoyed it enough that I’m in the middle of Rebel Spring right now and really enjoying it! And last up was the ARC of Emma Lord’s newest upcoming book, When You Get the Chance, which I absolutely ADORED. The review for that one is up on my blog now, so you can see more info there.

In order to keep my original Goodreads goal of 48 books this year, I need to read 13 in December. Not sure I’ll make it, haha, but a girl can dream! Seriously, I’ll never know how I did it the one year I read 317 books….

Book Reviews

When You Get the Chance – Emma Lord

Maren @ MarenBoBarenReads

Rating: 5 out of 5.

I wish more than anything I could ask him something now. I was prepared to lose him, maybe. But I wasn’t prepared for what happens after the losing.

-Emma Lord, When You Get the Chance

Well, life hits sometimes, and I haven’t posted a blog/review in just over a year. I find it hilarious though that my last post from October 23, 2020 was a review of Emma Lord’s You Have a Match, and my first review back is of Emma Lord’s When You Get the Chance! I swear, I didn’t plan it that way. I didn’t even realize it until just now when I opened up wordpress, inspired to write a blog again! It’s good to be back! Now, you aren’t really here for me, you’re here to read about Emma Lord’s newest upcoming book!

Millie (short for Camille, although easily could be equated to Millie from Thoroughly Modern Millie) is a musical theatre nerd in the extreme. It’s good that she lives in New York because she would lost in a small town in the middle of nowhere. We follow her navigating through trying to get her single parent father to let her go away to a musical theatre pre-college, essentially skipping her senior year of high school. When he inevitably says no, her solution is to ask her mother to convince HER to let her go. Only problem, she’s never met her mother. She was dropped off by her mom on her dad’s doorstep when she was an infant, and Millie has been raised by him and his sister, Heather. When Millie discovers that there are 3 potential women who could be her mom living in the city, she takes matters into her own hands. The antics ensue from there.

One thing I loved about this premise, is how much Millie identifies that her situation is reminiscent of Mamma Mia. So far as she and her best friend Teddy, begin calling it her Millie Mia. This book is completely filled with an abundance of musical theatre references (which some may think are too much, but as a musical theatre nerd, I LOVED). And the relationships between Millie and all her supporting cast (hah hah) were very well developed. From her best friend across the hall Teddy, to her arch-nemesis Oliver, to her potential younger half-sister Chloe, her aunt Heather, and to her father, my personal favorite, Cooper. Each relationship feels fully fleshed out and has backstory. And I love how you learn about each of the characters in their lives OUTSIDE of Millie.

One of the biggest things this book also solidified for me. I may read YA books 95% of the time, but I’m in my mid 30s. Do I still fall for the clear love interest? Nope, I’m falling for the single dad every time.

All in all, I loved this book so much. Easy 5/5 from me for this book. My only little nitpicky issue, is that, throughout the whole book, “theatre” is spelled “theater.” Small gripe, but that’s just me. I had to get over it.

Book Particulars:

  • Page Count: 320 Pages
  • Publisher: Wednesday Books
  • Edition Read – eBook, thanks to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
  • Expected Release Date: January 4, 2022
  • Dates Read: November 24, 2021 – November 26, 2021

Book Synopsis:
Nothing will get in the way of Millie Price’s dream to become a Broadway star. Not her lovable but super-introverted dad, who after raising Millie alone, doesn’t want to watch her leave home to pursue her dream. Not her pesky and ongoing drama club rival, Oliver, who is the very definition of Simmering Romantic Tension. And not the “Millie Moods,” the feelings of intense emotion that threaten to overwhelm, always at maddeningly inconvenient times. Millie needs an ally. And when a left-open browser brings Millie to her dad’s embarrassingly moody LiveJournal from 2003, Millie knows just what to do. She’s going to find her mom.

There’s Steph, a still-aspiring stage actress and receptionist at a talent agency. There’s Farrah, ethereal dance teacher who clearly doesn’t have the two left feet Millie has. And Beth, the chipper and sweet stage enthusiast with an equally exuberant fifteen-year-old daughter (A possible sister?! This is getting out of hand). But how can you find a new part of your life and expect it to fit into your old one, without leaving any marks? And why is it that when you go looking for the past, it somehow keeps bringing you back to what you’ve had all along?

Book Reviews

You Have a Match by Emma Lord

Maren @ MarenBoBarenReads

Bookish Life Lesson, You Have a Match edition: If you’re getting a DNA test, know that it might reveal some skeletons in your family closet.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

But it isn’t the knowing that matters. It’s the feeling that does.

Emma Lord

It feels like I just came off the high of reading Tweet Cute by Emma Lord, so imagine my happiness when I was approved for an ARC of You Have a Match! Emma Lord has easily slipped into being a top tier YA Contemporary author, and any worries that she may have been a one-hit wonder, died out when I was reading this book.

We follow Abby Day (many a pun are made about her last name, it’s hilarious) and Savvy, the older sister she never knew she had. After being coerced into taking a DNA test by her besties Leo and Connie, Abby and Savvy’s worlds are thrown upside down in trying to figure out exactly why Savvy was put up for adoption a year and a half before Abby was born. It’s so wonderful to read this book as it unfolds. Mostly because, even though there is some romance between Abby and a certain adorable chef-in-training, the main focus of the story is on Abby and Savvy and their budding sisterly relationship. A relationship, btw, that isn’t all sunshine and rainbows despite just finding each other. They have all out fights and bickering matches that only sisters a year and a half apart could have. (Something I’m not that familiar with since my sister is 10 years older than me, we never fight, and she’s my bestie).

I particularly loved the Parent Trap-esque feel to the family dynamics as the mystery of Savvy’s adoption came further into the light. You quickly find yourself rooting for the 2 sets of parent’s to figure their shit out so they can all be one happy family. But don’t worry, if you are in for the romance, there is plenty of that too!

This book is easily recommendable for YA Fans, especially fans of Tweet Cute. I’ve already made a mental note to send a copy of it to my sister when it releases.

Book Particulars:

  • Page Count: 320 Pages
  • Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
  • Edition Read – eBook, thanks to St. Martins, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
  • Release Date: January 25, 2021
  • Dates Read: October 20th – October 22nd

Book Synopsis:
When Abby signs up for a DNA service, it’s mainly to give her friend and secret love interest, Leo, a nudge. After all, she knows who she is already: Avid photographer. Injury-prone tree climber. Best friend to Leo and Connie…although ever since the B.E.I. (Big Embarrassing Incident) with Leo, things have been awkward on that front.

But she didn’t know she’s a younger sister.

When the DNA service reveals Abby has a secret sister, shimmery-haired Instagram star Savannah Tully, it’s hard to believe they’re from the same planet, never mind the same parents—especially considering Savannah, queen of green smoothies, is only a year and a half older than Abby herself.

The logical course of action? Meet up at summer camp (obviously) and figure out why Abby’s parents gave Savvy up for adoption. But there are complications: Savvy is a rigid rule-follower and total narc. Leo is the camp’s co-chef, putting Abby’s growing feelings for him on blast. And her parents have a secret that threatens to unravel everything.

But part of life is showing up, leaning in, and learning to fit all your awkward pieces together. Because sometimes, the hardest things can also be the best ones.