This was my first venture into the Modern Fairytale Collection series and I really enjoyed it. Truth be told, I didn't quite get the feel of the Cinderella story but I can see how they're related. This book is not for the lighthearted romantic there's a lot of dark sinister themes going on behind the scenes.

The slow reveal of the family secrets using Tig's diary is such a unique way for Ashley to learn about her mother's life. There is so much heartache and struggle, it really paints a vivid picture of what life was like for Tig under Mosier's thumb. Finding love in the hardest of circumstances is a theme I can always appreciate.

Ashley as a character is heartfelt and naive, I was rooting for her and also sad for her. The burdens of the life she had already lived and the potential life ahead of her were hard to feel excited about. Julian was a breath of fresh air after their initial awkward meeting. The slow budding friendship and romance was perfectly aligned with the story. It was heartfelt and real and kept the pages flying by.

The only reason this story isn't a 5 star for me is that the ending was a bit predictable. I still really loved the story and would recommend this readers who enjoy a suspenseful story with a happy ending.

2018 Statistics

Total number of books read in 2018: 225

Number of as-yet unread books added to "owned books" TBR in 2018: 240

-- plus the 100 or so Audible downloads that I haven't even added to my BookLikes shelves yet.

So the ratio of buying vs. reading is seriously off this year.  (Last year, I read almost 40 books more than remained unread on my "owned books" TBR of the books added over the course of the year.) 

Nevertheless, I am very happy with my reading year: very few of my reads were 3 stars or less, I didn't expect I'd even make it to 200 books (so I actually read more than expected), I finished my Women Writers project, and compared to last year, my stats have come out on the "right" side in every aspect I primarily looked at -- I read more women authors than men, and more new books than rereads:

In summary, I guess you can call this my year of listening to mystery audiobooks chiefly written by women writers ... which is fine, though, and in a way even what I expected this year to be. 

In fact, I'm expecting to continue reading many more mysteries in 2019 as well -- I'd like to complete my "inofficial" Detection Club Bingo reads for one thing, I'm planning to read more Golden Age mysteries republished as part of the British Library Crime Classics and Collins Crime club series, and I'm likely going to join Wanda and Moonlight at least for parts of "A Study in Sherlock" / "Summer of Sherlock".  But I'm also planning to reprise my Women Writers challenge, however with a twist along the lines of the "Around the World in 80 Books" group on Goodreads. 

All in all, if 2019 turns out even half as good as 2018 has been (even against the odds in some respects), I'll color myself extremely lucky.

This story started off strong. We meet Scarlett as she's blowing off her own high school graduation, much to her mother's dismay. She is a rebellious, angry, angsty teen who is struggling with her future plans. When she gets into trouble, her only option to avoid jail is to join the military program at West Point. 

Of course this isn't just a regular program at West Point, Scarlett has special abilities that the military is interested in. Posthumans are in their own program where they are learning to control and focus their powers. As is standard for Scarlett, she isn't that interested in doing what she's told. I liked her rebelliousness and bending of the rules despite her angst ridden feelings. 

I really enjoyed the first 3/4 of the book, where we learn all about Scarlett and her experience with other posthumans. My frustration with the ending is mostly that is feels so different from the rest of the story. We are quickly introduced to the enemy and there's a showdown of sorts. Very movie-esque in its hastiness. 

If you're looking for an interesting science fiction story that feels a lot like X-Men or the show Heroes, I think you would enjoy this book a lot. It definitely leans more towards Young Adult genre, but not in a bad way. 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my review. I was not monetarily compensated and my opinions are my own

Where to begin? This was another fun, interesting romance by one of my favorite authors. While not quite living up to the laugh out loud moments of the first book in this series (Accidental Tryst) I really enjoyed the tension building of this friends to lovers story. Gwen, or Gracie, and Beau have a definitive chemistry that most couples strive to find. Friendships are great, but when they can be more it can be even better.

I know this particular trope gets kind of a bad rap in the romance reading community, but I assure you that Boyd does a fabulous job keeping the story moving without falling into a repetitive pace that leaves the reader with that "will they just get it on already" feeling. I found myself reading easily and excitedly to find out what would happen next. There's a lot to unravel and I really enjoyed the other characters contributions to the story.

Beau is an idiot. I mean that in the nicest way possible. He does all the wrong things and seems to not understand women at all. For having a best friend that is female, he hasn't learned anything useful to his endeavor. It was hard to like him at all at first, but there are a few redeeming moments that saved his character for me. Apologies are important people, that's all I'm saying.

Gwen is fierce and gentle. She seems like someone I'd like to get a beer with and swap awful dating stories. I immediately related to her and it was easy to be in her corner from the beginning. Not without faults, her stubbornness made for an interesting middle of the story. The ending is probably one of my favorite parts, all thanks to her.

If you're looking for a fun romance with a bit of angst and a happy ending, you should definitely grab this book.

So according to BL, I started reading this December 16, 2017. That means it took me 9 months to finish this wonderful book. Since Jenny Lawson discusses her struggle with depression and anxiety disorders at length (in the best, funniest way possible) I had to take several long breaks when my anxiety and depression were not putting me in the right head space to enjoy reading it. But really, this book is hilarious and just what I needed during these past two weeks of total chaos in my life. 

I am not exaggerating when I say my "vacation" was surrounded with nothing but Murphy's law. Car accident, cancelled concerts, delayed flights, stomach flu, etc, etc. All unrelated to this review, but whatever, I'll do what I want. Furiously Happy does remind us to laugh at the absurdity of our lives and most of all, to remember that the lows eventually get better.