I received this book for free through an ARC giveaway on the author’s Instagram page. 

Please note, that despite the cute cover, this book does contain a lot of sex talk and sex scenes. 

Omg this book was amazing. It was serious, yet funny. Sexy but sweet. 

This was a very unique read. I’ve never read anything like it before. It was like a chick lit book, but less superficial and more deep than they typically get. 

The book deals with a very serious topic, being BRCA1 positive. The way the author handles it is incredibly well done. She did a phenomenal job tapping into the emotions and anxieties that come with the diagnosis. You can tell the author did a tremendous amount of research. 

I loved how sex positive this entire book was. Like I mentioned before, there is a lot of sex in this book, but it is never seen as a bad thing. It even calls out some double standards. 

I also loved the diversity. The main character’s two best friends were both POC. One was Asian and the other was British Indian who was also a lesbian. Even many of the love interests/sexual partners were POC too, including an Iranian fashion designer. I’ve read quite a few books set in New York City, but none had this much diversity. 

The romance aspects felt very real. All the decisions the main character made regarding her love life felt plausible. Sometimes romances can end up being too far fetched, so it was nice to see one that was more grounded. 

Lastly, the final 30 pages of the book were incredibly heartfelt and I just loved it! There was a lot of emotion and heart. 

Overall, if you’re looking for a different kind of chick lit book, I really recommend this one! 

High school seniors Cady LaBrie and Cooper Murphy have yet to set one toe out of line—they’ve never stayed out all night or snuck into a movie, never gotten drunk or gone skinny-dipping. But they have each other, forty-eight hours before graduation, and a Weekend Bucket List.

There’s a lot riding on this one weekend, especially since Cady and Cooper have yet to admit, much less resolve, their confounding feelings for one another—feelings that prove even more difficult to discern when genial high school dropout Eli Stanley joins their epic adventure. But as the trio ticks through their bucket list, the questions they face shift toward something new: Must friendship play second fiddle to romance? Or can it be the ultimate prize?

@embrace_rainbow, #LGBTQ+, #Young_Adult

Top Ten Tuesday is a list-based meme hosted by the amazing Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. If the meme sounds familiar, it was formerly hosted by The Broke and Bookish.

My "to-re-read" shelf on Goodreads is pretty much bare with a mere 12 books. Personally, I am not a huge fan of re-reading. In the end, the act of reading a story for a second or third time mostly seems like a waste of time to me when there are plenty of other books I need to read. If I had all of the time in the world, then I would gladly re-read to my heart's desire. Unfortunately, my reading time is limited and I like to dedicate that time to exploring new worlds.

Despite my stance against re-reading, there are only a handful of books that I would never consider re-reading.

Click the link above to find out which books I love, but will respectfully never re-read and join in the conversation!

I know, I know, that post title could apply to basically every single gothic romance ever. In fact, as Linda Hilton knows, as I actually cribbed the title from an essay she discusses in this post (which is well worth reading, so you should read it!).

Nine Coaches Waiting centers around Linda Martin, a young French woman who is hired as the English speaking governess for Count Philippe Valmy, the nine year old heir to the Valmy estate and fortune. There are a couple of "accidents" where Philippe is nearly killed, at which point Linda begins to wonder if they were really "accidents" at all, or if someone really is trying to get rid of the young count.

As always, Mary Stewart's descriptions are truly lovely and evocative. Linda meets Raoul Valmy, Philippe's much older cousin, who is dashing and handsome and oh so mysterious. He doesn't live at Chateau Valmy, rather he lives at one of the lesser Valmy family properties near by. As the conspiracy unfolds, Linda falls head over heels in love with the enigmatic Raoul, which she realizes after possibly the most epic first date ever set down in fiction.