Category: Reviews

Review: Famous Men by Julie Buntin

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Anna: I loved 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘢, so when I saw Julie Buntin had a new book coming out this summer, I had to read it!  After finishing Famous Men and sitting on it for about a month, I think it’s safe to say that it’s sitting at my favorite book of the year so far.

While Marlena explored girlhood and obsessive female friendship, 𝘍𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘔𝘦𝘯 is about the struggle of “making it” in New York as a writer as well as what happens when we meet our heroes.

Will leaves her small Midwestern town for New York City in search of her favorite writer, Nathaniel Fellow, who she also suspects might be her father (this is not a spoiler). When she finds him, she becomes entangled in his world and his life in ways she never expected.

Somehow I read three books back to back to back about grooming and power and relationship imbalances in a romantic relationship with a much older man in either an academic or professional setting. Those other books were 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢 𝘓𝘦𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘬𝘺 and  and Immersions. Though they were good and enjoyable, they paled in comparison to Famous Men. 

What Famous Men does so well is that as the reader you know that Wil’s relationship with Natahaniel is wrong, but you also understand how she would get sucked so thoroughly into his life. Buntin writes the relationship so intensely and convincingly. You can feel the spider web of events (and lies) that tie Wil and Nathaniel together. There’s a lot of morally gray space in this book, and it feels very tense and taut, almost like Wil’s fighting for survival, especially in the beginning of the book when she’s starved for money.

As someone who tried and failed to “make it” in NYC, I’m drawn to books set there. Like many books set there, it’s both an interrogation and love letter to the city and shows  just how much you truly have to sacrifice and hustle to survive there. 

The only part of this book  I didn’t love was a twist near the end, which was a bit of a personal trigger for me, but I understand why it had to happen. 

Let’s see if any other book this year can top this one! 

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC!

Pub Date: July 12, 2026

VERDICT: 📖 📖 📖 📖 📖/5

Review: A Tangled Magic by Andrea Eames

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A Kindle with A Tangled Magic book cover and a blueberry matcha latte in a mug

Alexis:

A Tangled Magic is a Rapunzel retelling that follows Netta, who lives in a tower with only her mother and a telepathic raven for company.

This was an excellent retelling! I loved Netta’s character, and how she was strong yet soft. I thought she was a great version of Disney’s Rapunzel in Tangled, and Eames really showed just how cut off she was from the rest of the world, not to mention lonely. I also enjoyed Eames’ interpretation of her magical Hair.

This was so much fun to read. It has your classic quest plot line, as Netta leaves her tower after being attacked by a group of men to find her mother, who is mysteriously missing. 

I also loved the political intrigue, the magic system, and the theme of power woven throughout the story. Bone magic plays a large role in the world’s history and in the book itself, and Eames’ did a great job of balancing the fairytale and whimsical vibes of this world with the macabre and a dash of body horror. There’s nothing I love more than dark fairytale vibes (besides creepy forests, of course). 

Baldbeak was one of my favorite characters, of course (I mean, a giant telepathic, magical raven)? And I really enjoyed how books and bookbinding played an overall role in the story. 

If you’re tired of romantasy, this will be a great story to pick up! There’s a romantic subplot, and Patrick is both a flawed and lovable love interest (Flynn Rider, anyone)? But Netta and her own goals, and finding herself, are the main focus of the story. 

Overall, this was a refreshing retelling with so many interesting elements and characters. I knew I loved Eames’ writing style from her debut novel, and I loved it in A Tangled Magic, as well. 

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Erewhon Books/Penguin Random House for my ARC in exchange for a review!

Pub Date: July 28, 2026

VERDICT: 📖📖📖📖📖/5 

Review: Mirabelle by Ki Stephens

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Alexis holding a Kindle ARC copy of Mirabelle

Mirabelle follows Isla as she takes over her family’s failing plum orchard, Mirabelle. She’s sure of only one thing: she’ll save it alone or lose it on her own terms. 

Mirabelle is a small town, marriage of convenience romance. It has dual POVs, with Isla and Jack, who she marries in order to settle her finances and apply for grants in order to save the orchard.

Blue Willow is such a charming town and setting, and I enjoyed returning to it after reading Blue Willow, the first book in the series! I also really loved Jack’s character and how caring and funny he is. I also really like Stephens’ writing style and how well her dialogue flows. 

The only reason this wasn’t 5 stars for me is it was missing a little bit of the magical atmosphere that I loved in the first book. Since the plot focuses on the grant, I felt like there were more paperwork scenes than orchard scenes. I just wanted to see a little more of the actual orchard and learn more about its magic! 

VERDICT: 🍎🍎🍎🍎/5

Thank you so much to Ki Stephens and Love Notes for my ARC in exchange for a review!

Review: Burnout Summer by Jenna Ramirez

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Burnout Summer with Topo Chico and a planner

Alexis:

Happy pub day! Okay, so I’m actually a day late, but close enough!

Burnout Summer follows Camille during her, you guessed it, burnout summer.

The thing I really enjoyed about this book was how Ramirez explores the years following college. She digs in deep in her exploration of life after graduation and how corporate life in the US changes you and your relationships.

I also enjoyed learning more about Camille’s identity as a half Jewish and half Mexican woman and how she relates to Danny for being half Jewish and half Catholic.

Danny’s character is also a breath of fresh air. He isn’t brooding. He’s kind, funny, charismatic and I found him to be very refreshing.

Camille also struggles with credit card debt and student loan debt, and I really appreciated Ramirez’s realistic depiction of it.

My biggest criticism is that I honestly struggled to see why Danny loved Camille. And while that sounds harsh, what I mean is we were told that they were best friends and they always knew each other the best, but I never fully understood his relationship with Camille on page. I often felt like Camille used him as a punching bag and was constantly crying at him but then got a free pass because she was burnt out.

There was also a spicy scene that just gave me the ick, but I won’t go into details about that here.

Overall, there was still a lot that resonated with me, but I wish the romance aspect was just a little stronger, and that I was as compelled by Camille’s character as I was by Danny’s.

VERDICT: ⭐⭐⭐.5

Thanks so much to Netgalley and St. Martin’s for the ARC in exchange for a review!

Review: Deathly Fates by Tesia Tsai

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Kindle with Deathly Fates cover, a plant, and a chai latte on a coffee shop table

Alexis: 

Happy pub day to Deathly Fates by Tesia Tsai!

Review:

Deathly Fates is a classic quest YA fantasy book. I really enjoyed learning about Siying’s job as a corpse-driving priestess. I appreciated her personality, her dedication to her family, and her flaws.

I also really enjoyed that the prince, Ren, had a unique personality compared to a lot of love interests in romantic fantasy novels. The banter and conversations between Siying and Ren were great, and I liked the humor mixed in with the more serious topics of death, war, and duty. (I also loved seeing so many ghosts, of course.) 

I’m a huge fan of political intrigue in fantasy books, so I really enjoyed learning about the politics of this world and the feud between two nations.

My main criticism is that the fight scenes felt a little clunky to me. I also wasn’t a huge fan of one of Siying’s decisions near the end, as it felt a little too out of character. However, this was a fun read and I enjoyed it overall!

Thanks so much to Netgalley and St. Martin’s for my e-book copy in exchange for a review!

VERDICT: 👻👻👻👻/5

In other news, my latte was a Blueberry Muffin Chai latte and it was fantastic. 10/10 recommend

Synopsis:

As a corpse-driving priestess, a holy servant paid to guide the deceased home, Kang Siying has never feared death. But when her beloved father collapses due to his declining health, Siying realizes that even she is not free from the cruel grasp of mortality. Desperate to provide her father with the medical aid he needs, Siying accepts a dangerous job that promises a generous commission, and travels to a hostile state to retrieve the corpse of a missing prince.

But the moment Siying places her reanimation talisman on the dead prince’s head, rather than make the corpse obedient to Siying’s commands, the talisman brings the prince back to life. Worse, he won’t stay alive for long―not unless he absorbs enough qi, or life force, to keep his soul anchored to his body.

In return for a reward worth twice her original commission, Siying agrees to aid the frustratingly handsome prince in finding and purifying evil spirits for their qi. But as they journey across the countryside, encountering vengeful ghosts and enemy spies alike, they gradually uncover dark secrets about the prince’s death―secrets that could endanger both Siying’s father and their entire kingdom.

Review: The Second Death of Locke by V.L. Bovalino

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Alexis in front of a bookshelf holding The Second Death of Locke

Alexis:

Welcome to another book review featuring a lady knight!

The Second Death of Locke follows Grey, a knight/hand who has dedicated her life to her mage and long-term best friend, Kier.

When a quest to protect the child of an enemy kingdom pulls them into the dangerous heart of their nation’s war, Grey and Kier will need to decide what they are willing to sacrifice to protect their secret.

For Grey is no ordinary magical well, but heir to the lost island of Locke—the root of all power. If she dies, all magic dies with her.

I debated picking up The Second Death of Locke after hearing mixed reviews, but I ultimately decided that lady knights are having a moment, so why not? ⁣

I’m glad I did!

I really enjoyed the first half of this book especially. The yearning, the vibes/atmosphere, and the magic system were all wonderful.

⁣I liked both Grey and Kier’s characters, learning about their pasts, and the battlefield/fight scenes.

The second half was a little slower paced, and while I enjoyed the more political intrigue that it brought to the story, it wasn’t quite as strong. However, this was still a solid read overall and is definitely one of the more standout reads in the romantic fantasty/romantasy space.

VERDICT: 🗡️🗡️🗡️🗡️/5

Review: The Poet Empress by Shen Tao

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The Poet Empress with a matcha latte

Alexis:

The Poet Empress follows Wei, a poor girl from the rice fields of her kingdom who becomes a concubine to the Azalea Dynasty’s heir. The Azalea Dynasty is struggling: the emperor is dying, the heir/prince is violent and cruel, famine is striking the land, and poetry magic is lost to all except the powerful.

Wei must learn to survive in a world cruel to women, even if it means learning poetry magic herself to craft the most powerful spell of all.

What I Liked: 

I bought this book because it sounded similar to A Song to Drown Rivers, which was a devastating book that I loved, and I was right! However, be warned that, no matter what marketing you see, The Poet Empress is not a romantasy or romantic fantasy. It’s a dark, political, historical fantasy that explores the theme of love—and suffering.

(Also, as an aside, the cover is completely covered in sparkles, which I was not expecting! It was a fun surprise). 

I love a good political fantasy, so I was glad to pick this one up. It’s a brutal, often depressing read, yet I found myself rooting for Wei and hoping she would be able to navigate the cruel world of court intrigue without losing herself. 

Tao’s writing is gorgeous, and I found myself impressed that this is her debut! I definitely look forward to reading more of her books in the future. 

The poetry magic, called literomancy, was such an interesting concept, and I wished we got even more of it.

I love how Tao explores humanity. She does an in-depth exploration of how decisions and your upbringing can affect your life, and she truly shows how no one is perfect or wholly good.

What I Didn’t Like As Much:

The pacing was sometimes a little off. When I got to the middle of the book, I found myself waiting for more plot points to happen. However, everything else was so well crafted that this doesn’t affect my overall rating!

VERDICT: 🪶🪶🪶🪶🪶/5

Review: The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow

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The Everlasting with a bookmark, candle, and glasses

Alexis:

The Everlasting was actually my first read of the year, so at least I started 2026 off with a bang.

While it took me a bit to really get into the story, once the first plot twist happened, I was hooked. 

If you want to learn more about the story, check out the synopsis below:

Synopsis:

Sir Una Everlasting was Dominion’s greatest hero: the orphaned girl who became a knight, who died for queen and country. Her legend lives on in songs and stories, in children’s books and recruiting posters―but her life as it truly happened has been forgotten.

Centuries later, Owen Mallory―failed soldier, struggling scholar―falls in love with the tale of Una Everlasting. Her story takes him to war, to the archives―and then into the past itself. Una and Owen are tangled together in time, bound to retell the same story over and over again, no matter what it costs.

But that story always ends the same way. If they want to rewrite Una’s legend―if they want to tell a different story―they’ll have to rewrite history itself.

What I Liked:

This was such an interesting concept overall, and that’s coming from someone who historically isn’t into time travel stories! Harrow approached time travel in such a unique way. She also tackled themes of war, love, family, and power.

As for the setting, it changes with the time travel. However, the beginning is set in a fantasy version of WWI that I found really interesting. But I won’t say any more so as not to give anything away. Just know that Harrow’s writing gives each setting a great atmosphere. 

A lot of romantic fantasy stories have copy and paste protagonists, so I found both Owen and Una refreshing. Owen is a bookish academic who is also a veteran, and Una is a lady knight. I found their characters and dynamic interesting and different—in a good way.

What I Didn’t Like As Much:

The only thing I wished we got more of was watching Una and Owen falling in love in action. ⁣I think this would’ve allowed me to get hooked even earlier in the story. But the rest of the story made up for it!

VERDICT: ♞♞♞♞♞/5 

⁣

Review: The Bookshop Below by Georgia Summers

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The Bookshop Below with a holiday mug

Alexis: 

Welcome to my last book review of the year! The Bookshop Below was also my last read of 2025. This year felt like the longest year ever, yet somehow December is already coming to a close. Time is weird that way.

Look out for my top 10 books of the year, and Anna’s, as well! My nephew is 9 months old now, and I know Anna is hoping to write more book reviews next year.

When I read The City of Stardust, Georgia Summers’ debut, I remembered being shocked at how low of a rating it has on Goodreads. This is a reminder that if a book sounds interesting to you, pick it up and try it! Some of the most underrated books I’ve read have 3.50-3.70 star ratings on Goodreads and Storygraph. Sitting at 3.62 stars, The Bookshop Below is similar. 

It starts off with a bang, and I immediately thought that this was a story right up my alley.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

If you want a story that will change your life, Chiron’s bookshop is where you go. For those lucky enough to grace its doors, it’s a glimpse into a world of powerful bargains and deadly ink magic.

For Cassandra Fairfax, it’s a reminder of everything she lost, when Chiron kicked her out and all but shuttered the shop. Since then, she’s used her skills in less ethical ways, trading stolen books and magical readings to wealthy playboys and unscrupulous collectors.

Then Chiron dies under mysterious circumstances. And if Cassandra knows anything, it’s this: the bookshop must always have an owner.

The Bookshop Below has:

  • Magical bookshops
  • Unique ink/reading magic
  • Feuding bookshop owners
  • A morally grey main character with a history of thieving
  • A magical cat
  • A murder mystery
  • A romantic subplot 

Summers’ writing style is gorgeously lyrical and literary. I love her descriptions, and the cozy atmosphere of Chiron’s bookshop is perfect. The overall atmosphere of the story leans more on the dreamy, mysterious side and turns a little more sinister with the murder mystery and feuding bookshop owners. 

Cassandra is a fascinating character, and I enjoyed her character arc and watching her backstory unfold and come back to haunt her. Likewise, a bookseller named Lowell was an interesting side character with a compelling character arc. (Did I mention there’s a magical cat?)

While this story isn’t perfect, no story is. The middle of this book dragged a little. Summers’ writing works best when character-driven, so the plot suffered for a bit.

I saw a few reviews mentioning that the magic system was confusing. However, the magic system is definitely a soft and not hard magic system, and I enjoyed the way Summers integrated it into the story without chunks of exposition. I figured it out with context clues, and I think that worked best with the mysterious vibes of the book.

In conclusion, I love Summers’ writing. The beginning and ending of this book packed a punch. And I’m still thinking about it. If you’re looking for a story with plenty of book magic and don’t mind a slower, more mysterious story, then this one might be up your alley, too.

VERDICT: 📚📚📚📚/5

Review: Blue Willow by Ki Stephens

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Blue Willow rests on a bookshelf next to a pumpkin

Alexis:

I’m happy that I got to read a digital ARC of Blue Willow, a magical realism romance that arrives on December 5, 2025.

Synopsis:

Coming home was never part of the plan.

Leaving again might be even harder.

When Elsie Hart returns to Blue Willow for the first time in eight years, it’s only to settle her grandmother’s estate—not to rekindle old memories or untangle the magic she’s worked hard to forget. But the inn she once loved is more stubborn than it looks. So is the man who’s been keeping it alive.

Wells Rourke never wants to leave. He’s spent the last few years patching the inn back together with his own two hands and the quiet certainty that Elspeth Hart didn’t just pour her heart into the walls; she left something behind. Something that’s worth keeping alive.

Elsie wants a clean break and a fast sale. Wells wants her gone before she can rip apart what’s left. But the house has other plans. As winter deepens and long-dormant feelings surface, the two of them are drawn into a tug-of-war not just over the keys to the inn, but over the pieces of themselves they thought they’d long buried.

In a town where quiet magic lingers, some people—and some places—will never stop waiting for you to come home.

Review:

Blue Willow is steeped in winter imagery and winter vibes. The setting perfectly captures the cold yet coziness of many winter nights, and it made me look forward to the holidays.

And a magic inn? I’m a sucker for semi-sentient houses. The magic of the inn was cozy and present without being over the top, and I really enjoyed it. While I wish we almost got even more about the magical town itself, I really loved what we did learn about the setting (can you tell I’m a sucker for small town romances and a sprinkle of magic?).

The story is told in dual POVs and switches between Elsie and Wells. I enjoyed both of their perspectives, and the romance between them was sweet. I also appreciated how they’re both dealing with realistic situations and feelings. 

While I was reading this, my own grandma passed away. The theme of grief, as Elsie deals with the death of her grandma, ended up being very personal and poignant, so this book hit me a little harder than it would’ve otherwise. 

VERDICT: ❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️/5

Thanks so much to author Ki Stephens for my ARC in exchange for a review!