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    Hi, I am Alicia!

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    About Me

    me

    Hi, I'm Suzanne. Proofreader by day, book blogger by night, devourer of books 24/7. My reading tastes: Basically you name it, I probably like it. I read a lot of contemporary and historical, both adult and YA, and I've also been enjoying more and more fantasy lately. Hobbies include: buying and hoarding of books, rambling about books to anyone who will listen, and trying to recommend books to my family and friends whether they are readers or not - because seriously, how can you not love to read books?

    BOOKSTAGRAM

    🐘 Review - HOME OF THE AMERICAN CIRCUS 🐘 Au 🐘 Review - HOME OF THE AMERICAN CIRCUS 🐘

Author - Allison Larkin

Pub Date - 5/6/25

Thanks to @gallerybooks for the #gifted book & @simon.audio for the #gifted audiobook. #partner

Home of the American Circus is a poignant, character driven family drama that really resonated with me. It’s a story about second chances and one woman’s journey of self discovery as she not only faces her past, but looks to mend fractured relationships & find a path forward. 

When a medical emergency leaves Freya short on rent, she takes it as a sign it’s time to leave her current life behind and return home to Somers, NY, where she can finally claim the old, dilapidated house she inherited from her estranged parents.  Even though Freya’s intent is to lay low once she arrives in her hometown, she quickly finds herself surrounded by childhood friends, old flames, and unfortunately, a few enemies she’s related to that she would rather forget. 

She also finds Aubrey, the 15-year old niece she was once very close to, but who she left behind when she previously fled the town.  Aubrey has been secretly living in Freya’s abandoned house when she can’t stand being around her own family.  As Freya and Aubrey work to make repairs on the old house, Freya also cautiously works to rebuild trust and repair the once beautiful relationship she had with her young niece.  There’s a dual timeline that slowly reveals the full story as to what drove Freya away in the first place, and it’s just such a heartbreaking and emotional story with Freya and Aubrey’s relationship illustrating that sometimes the family we choose is more loving and stable than the family we are born into. 

I loved Larkin’s writing and the way she drew not just Freya and Aubrey, but all of the characters.  From Jam to Shray and everyone in between, they’re all just so unique and wonderful. You couldn’t help but root for them all, especially the ones that rallied around Freya. 

I alternated between the physical arc & the audio and thoroughly enjoyed both. Julia Whelan narrates and, as always, is just perfection, especially the way she captures Freya & Aubrey’s relationship.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

❓QOTD - Favorite read of 2025 so far?
    Thanks for the free book and #gifted ALC @berkleyr Thanks for the free book and #gifted ALC @berkleyromance #BerkleyPartner #Berkley & @prhaudio #prhaudiopartner

📸 Review - ONE GOLDEN SUMMER 📸

Author - Carley Fortune

Pub Date - 5/6/25

Alice Everly has come back to Barry’s Bay with her grandmother, Nan. Nan is recovering from an injury and needs cheering up, and Alice is burnt out on her job as a commercial photographer and on love after a recent breakup. All she wants is a summer to remember. Alice creates a to-do list of summer adventures for herself, but she doesn’t anticipate that the most memorable part of her summer to remember will be Charlie Florek, the young man she captured in a photo when she was 17, her first summer at Barry’s Bay, a photo that changed her life. 

I was so excited to revisit Barry’s Bay and to finally get Charlie’s story and hopefully his much deserved HEA. This book definitely works great as a standalone but it’s just even more special if you read it after Ever Summer After where we first meet Charlie. 

Carley Fortune could not have written a more perfect match for Charlie than Alice.  Their banter was just perfection and I loved how no matter how hard Alice tried to keep Charlie at a distance, he just kept showing up for her and I especially loved how he was all in helping her get through her to-do list to help make her summer as magical as possible.  Plus, he’s just so amazing with Nan.  Charlie has some baggage though, and as sweet and wonderful as he is now, doesn’t believe he deserves a happily ever after, which had me rooting for the two of them all the more so they were just so incredible together.  I love that it’s ultimately a journey of love and self discovery for both characters. 

I read the e-book and listened to the audiobook and highly recommend both formats. AJ Bridel does a wonderful job bringing these characters to life and making Fortune’s dialogue pop.

Great writing, wonderful character development, perfect lake setting, nostalgic summer vibes. One Golden Summer has it all and it’s my new favorite from Carley Fortune. 🩷

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

❓QOTD - Have you made any travel plans for summer yet? Or what’s your dream summer vacation?
    Thanks to @macmillan.audio #macaudio2025 for the g Thanks to @macmillan.audio #macaudio2025 for the gifted ALC

🎧 Review:  THE THRASHERS 🎧

Author: Julie Soto

Narrators: Eva Kaminsky & Jesse Vilinsky

Pub Date - 5/6/25

I don’t read much YA, but I’m always down for a good YA thriller, especially if it’s Julie Soto making her YA thriller debut! The Thrashers centers around the members of an elite high school clique called the Thrashers and what happens when Emily Mills, a young woman who is denied entry into their inner circle, unexpectedly dies and her journal exposes them all as suspects in her death.

I love a good twisty thriller and this one really delivers. Not only is it filled with juicy secrets and plot twists, including several of the supernatural variety (which just gave me chills!), but it’s also filled with messy, morally gray characters, which always makes for an interesting read.  For me, the most interesting character is Jodi, a young woman who normally wouldn’t be included in this elite group but who was accepted by virtue of being childhood best friends with another member of the group.  As the truth about what happened to Emily starts to come out, along with what role the Thrashers may have played in her death, Jodi finds herself stuck in the middle with an impossible choice to make and questioning everything she thought she knew about these people she has been calling her friends. 

It’s somewhat of a slow burn to get to the truth, but it’s still one heck of a suspenseful ride and I devoured this audiobook in a day. I thoroughly enjoyed the narration of Eva Kaminsky & Jesse Vilinsky, who both did a wonderful job bringing these characters to life and keeping me on the edge of my seat waiting to see how all of the pieces of the puzzle would fit together. 

 If you enjoy YA thrillers from Karen McManus, Holly Jackson, and Kara Thomas, I think you’ll enjoy this one!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

❓QOTD - Do you read any YA?  Who are some of your favorite YA authors? Or what are you reading this week?
    📚 APRIL WRAP-UP 📚 Hey book friends! I hope 📚 APRIL WRAP-UP 📚

Hey book friends! I hope your May is off to a great start.

Was April a good reading month for you? Mine was pretty good. I was able to finish 21 books, 3 of them backlist (I hit double digits on my 25 in 2025 challenge!), the rest arcs and almost all of the books from my list of March hopefuls. 

I read mostly romance as always, but did sneak in some thrillers, cozy mysteries, fantasy, historical fiction, and even a lit fic this month. 

My photo features all of the physical copies I read, but I also read a few e-arcs and listened to several audiobooks as well. As always, I read faster than I review so I’ve flagged the books below that I haven’t reviewed yet but still plan to. You can expect to see those sometime in the next few days.

❓QOTD:  How was your reading month? What were some of your favorite April reads?

❤️ 5 STARS ❤️

Happy Land by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry
What We Keep by Jennifer Millikin (25 in 2025, Book #8)

🧡 4.5 STARS 🧡

What Happened in Amsterdam by Rachel Lynn Solomon
One Death at a Time by Abbi Waxman
The Maid’s Secret by Nita Prose
No Ordinary Love by Myah Ariel
Bridesmaid by Chance by Meghan Quinn
Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan (25 in 2025, Book #9)
Any Trope But You by Victoria Lavine
Insignificant Others by Sarah Jio 
Home of the American Circus by Allison Larkin (Review to come)

💛 4 STARS 💛

Flirting Lessons by Jasmine Guillory 
The Wind Weaver by Julie Johnson
Anywhere You Go by Bridget Morrissey
Consider Me by Becka Mack (25 in 2025 Book #10, review to come) 
Up Close & Personal by Ana Holguin
Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy
If You Stayed by Brittainy Cherry

💚 3.5 STARS 💚

Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay

💙 3 STARS 💙

I Would Die for You by Sandie Jones
The Page Turner by Viola Shipman

💜 2 or 1 STARS, or DNFs 💜

NONE
    Thanks to @sourcebookscasa #partner for the #gifte Thanks to @sourcebookscasa #partner for the #gifted book.

✨ Review - IF YOU STAYED ✨

Author - Brittainy Cherry

Pub Date - 4/22/2025

If You Stayed is a beautifully written, emotionally charged second chance romance that follows Kierra and Gabriel who, when the book opens, are just seeing each other for the first time after a 20-year separation. 

I loved the unique take on this second chance romance in the sense that it’s only Kierra that remembers their shared history, all of its beauty and its pain. Gabriel was her first best friend, first kiss, first love and her first heartbreak. A tragic accident nearly took Gabriel’s life and has robbed him of all memories of his past, including his time with Kierra. That same accident drove Kierra out of town and out of his life, until now, when Kierra’s husband has unwittingly hired Gabriel to be the architect on their new home. 

I was immediately hooked on this story and wanted to know why this tragedy drove Kierra away for so long. I liked the way the story unfolded, giving those answers about the past through flashbacks, while also showing how deeply connected Kierra and Gabriel still are in the present.  Even with no memory of Kierra, it’s clear that Gabriel still feels a connection to her and could easily fall for her all over again and it’s equally clear that Kierra has unresolved feelings for Gabriel. Kierra’s situation is all the more frustrating because she is currently in a loveless marriage to a controlling husband that she only stays in because she cares deeply for her stepdaughter and fears losing that connection.  As the truth about everything was gradually revealed, I flew through the pages, hoping a second chance was in the cards for Kierra and Gabriel because they just deserved it so much after everything that was taken from them. 

If you like an angsty, addictive read that features flawed, messy characters, I would definitely recommend If You Stayed. It does deal in some heavy themes such as domestic abuse though so be sure to check trigger warnings before diving into this one. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

❓QOTD - Do you like to read emotional stories? If so, do you have a go-to author for them?
    ✨25 in 2025 Read #9 - LONG SHOT by Kennedy Ryan ✨25 in 2025 Read #9 - LONG SHOT by Kennedy Ryan ✨

I’m doing much better reading my 25 in 2025 books than I am reviewing them, but I’m still back this weekend with review #9, which is Long Shot, the first book in Kennedy Ryan’s Hoops series. 

I’m firmly in my Kennedy Ryan era this year, having already read and loved Reel and I’m currently obsessing over my arc of the third book in her Skyland trilogy.  Now I can add Long Shot to the list of her books that have just blown me away.

I do want to say up front that if you’re not unfamiliar with this book to please be mindful of the trigger warnings as this story does deal with domestic abuse and some of the scenes are quite graphic.  Iris comes from a home where her mother was a victim of abuse, and although she swears she will never end up like her mom, she somehow finds herself in a similar situation and struggling to get out. When she meets August, she realizes what a healthy relationship could actually look like and it’s all she wants if she can get away from her abuser once and for all. 

The subject matter in this story may be dark at times, but the writing, as always, is gorgeous and the characters are incredibly well drawn.  I felt the love between Iris and August, and I felt their pain.  Iris is so strong, determined, and resilient, and August just has the biggest heart, and he’s so patient.  I was rooting hard for them to make it through to the other side of all of the darkness in the story and was ultimately satisfied with how everything played out for them and look forward to continuing the series.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

❓QOTD - What’s an older book on your TBR you’re hoping to finally read this year?
    🌺 Our monthly bookstacks take on May! 🌺

It’s hard to believe we’re already almost halfway through the year, but summer is fast approaching! 

This month’s stack might be short, but it’s filled with three of my favorite reads. 

M - Mile High by Liz Tomforde 
A - Anywhere You Go by Bridget Morrissey 
Y - You Should Smile More by Anastasia Ryan

❓QOTD - Happy Friday- Any fun plans this weekend? 

Check out our stacks at #May25BookStackChallenge

To jump into 2025 with monthly SpellStack challenges, DM @cynsfictionaddiction

#mayspellstack #mayspellstack25 #bookstackchallenge
    🎧 AUDIOBOOK MINI REVIEWS 🎧 Thanks to @macmi 🎧 AUDIOBOOK MINI REVIEWS 🎧

Thanks to @macmillan.audio #macaudio2025 for the gifted ALCs

PARENTS WEEKEND by Alex Finlay

Pub Date - 5/6/25

It’s parents’ weekend but when five students fail to show up for the weekend’s festivities, and another student drowns under suspicious circumstances, it’s all hands on deck, including FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller, to find the missing students. This is an easily bingeable read with short, fast-paced chapters and lots of twists and turns, as the parents’ backgrounds are looked into, for any possible motives as to why these students may have been targeted.  The large cast of characters made this one a little challenging for me, as the FBI agent was the only one I really felt a connection to, but that said, Brittany Pressley’s narration was phenomenal. She always impresses me with the distinctive voices she creates for even the largest cast of characters. ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

WILD DARK SHORE by Charlotte McConaghy

Pub Date - 3/4/25

This is an atmospheric thriller that follows a family living on a remote island near Antarctica. Tragedy drove the family there and they are now tasked with packing up the world’s largest seed bank to move it to safety before rising sea levels engulf the island. When a nearly dead woman washes ashore during a storm and the family helps nurse her back to health, her presence gives this family life but also opens up old wounds. Filled with compelling twists, incredible writing, and emotional depth, this was a great read, and Cooper Mortlock & Katherine Littrell both gave a fantastic performance bringing this haunting story to life. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I WOULD DIE FOR YOU by Sandie Jones 

Pub Date - 3/25/25

This is a dual timeline suspenseful thriller that focuses on Nicole and how Nicole’s sister Cassie, a love triangle, & a past filled with secrets, betrayals, drugs, & more threatens to rip apart the life Nicole has built for herself. Overall it’s a fast-paced, entertaining take on 80’s rock musicians and their obsessed fans. I enjoyed Imogen Wilde’s narration & appreciated her different accents for the characters but did struggle because I found the characters unlikable. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

❓QOTD - First read of May?
    🔎 THRILLER THURSDAY - RUTH WARE EDITION 🔎 T 🔎 THRILLER THURSDAY - RUTH WARE EDITION 🔎

Thanks so much to @gallerybooks, @scoutpressbooks, and @ruthwarewriter for these gifted books!

I love locked room thrillers and I think Ruth Ware writes some of the best I’ve ever read. I’m a huge fan of her books, with In a Dark, Dark Room being my favorite so far, I actually started my journey through Ware’s books with The Death of Mrs. Westaway and while  I’ve devoured every book since and have been working my way through her backlist, I’ve somehow not actually read The Woman in Cabin 10 yet even though it’s one of her most popular. 

I’m so excited to have this opportunity to not only be able to read the one Ruth Ware book I haven’t read yet, but to also be able to dive right into the much anticipated sequel!

For those who like to read the full synopsis, I’ve included slides with those for each book. For everyone else, here are some quick teasers. 

✨The Woman in Cabin 10 (Pub Date: 6/30/2016):

SOON TO BE A NETFLIX ORIGINAL, INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER. Reminiscent of a classic whodunit, this “pulse-quickening” (Oprah Daily) instant New York Times and USA TODAY bestseller follows a journalist searching for a missing woman on a cruise ship—a woman that everyone else insists doesn’t exist.

✨The Woman in Suite 11 (Pub Date: 7/8/2015):

In this follow-up to #1 New York Times bestselling author Ruth Ware’s multi-million copy mega-hit The Women in Cabin 10, Lo Blacklock returns to attend the opening of a luxury hotel, only to find herself in a white-knuckled race across Europe.

❓QOTD - I didn’t realize The Woman in Cabin 10 was going to be a Netflix original until I went to look for a synopsis for this post and saw the news. What has been your favorite book to movie/series adaptation?
    Thanks for the free book and #gifted ALC @berkleyr Thanks for the free book and #gifted ALC @berkleyromance 
#BerkleyPartner #Berkley & @prhaudio #prhaudiopartner

🌷 Review - WHAT HAPPENS IN AMSTERDAM 🌷

Author - Rachel Lynn Solomon

Pub Date - 5/6/25

Dani is in her 30’s, has just been dumped and then fired, and has no idea what she wants to do with her life.  Dani would also like to get some distance from her loving, but overprotective family, so when she sees a job opportunity in Amsterdam, she applies and can’t believe her luck when she actually gets it. 

A few mishaps during her first week in Amsterdam have Dani second guessing herself, but then she runs into Wouter, a Dutch exchange student Dani’s family hosted back when they were in high school.  Dani and Wouter were secretly dating while he lived with her family, but their time together ended in a painful breakup. 

The incredible chemistry between them is still there though, and when Dani’s job falls apart and she needs a visa if she’s going to stay in Amsterdam, which she desperately wants to do rather than having to crawl back home and admit defeat, she and Wouter decide to get married. Thanks to his old fashioned grandmother, he needs a wife in order to inherit a beloved family home, so the arrangement is perfect for both of them. 

I adored both Dani and Wouter, and it was so fun watching them get reacquainted after all of these years. They have so much history together, and it’s obvious that they have unresolved feelings for one another.  They definitely have to work through some baggage relating to that history but I was rooting for them to figure things out because they really were great together. 

Second chance romance and marriage of convenience are two of my favorite tropes. Throw in Dani’s journey of personal growth & this was a near perfect read for me, especially when set against the backdrop of Amsterdam, which I immediately added to my travel bucket list!

I did an immersive read of this book & was captivated by Elizabeth Lamont’s narration.  She did a wonderful job bringing Dani, Wouter, & all of their family members, to life. It was a great performance!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

❓QOTD - What’s at the top of your travel bucket list?
    ✌🏻Two for Tuesday -  Two Color Edition ✌🏻

Happy Tuesday book lovers!  Today it’s bright and sunny outside and the flowers are starting to bloom so I was inspired to use my Two for Tuesday post to share a book stack featuring one of my favorite spring color combos, purple and yellow. Those colors make me think of some of my favorite spring flowers like daffodils, iris, crocus, and tulips.

Books Featured:

💜The Off-Limits Rule by Sarah Adams
💛The Match by Sarah Adams
💜Well Traveled by Jen DeLuca
💛Mr. Fixer Upper by Lucy Score
💜The Dixon Rule by Elle Kennedy
💛Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez

❓QOTD - What are some of your favorite color combos?  Or what’s your favorite flower?
    Thanks to @readforeverpub & @hachetteaudio for the Thanks to @readforeverpub & @hachetteaudio for the #gifted e-arc and ALC! 

🩷 Review - UP CLOSE & PERSONAL 🩷

Author - Ana Holguin

Pub Date - 4/29/25

The premise of Up Close & Personal was just too fun for me to pass up - a jaded journalist challenges a celebrity fitness instructor to prove she’s the real deal and not just a scam. I just had to know how that was going to turn out!

Jo is a popular spin instructor at Haven, a company she is also part owner of. After a decade of hard work, she is at the top of her game and has huge waiting lists for her live classes, and her classes are also streamed into thousands of homes. 

Getting to the top has come at a price though and Jo has struggled with her mental health at times, particularly anxiety. She does like a challenge though, so when journalist Silas Anders challenges her to prove she is more than just a cheerleader sitting on a bike yelling at people, she not only rises to the challenge, but she sets out to absolutely torch his expectations. 

I loved that as soon as Silas realized he was dead wrong about Jo, he set out to really get to know the woman behind the bike and that they both ended up surprising each other. 

I also appreciated how multi layered both characters were, sometimes strong but also quite vulnerable at times. It was also really sweet watching them slowly open to one another. They have incredible chemistry but the progression of their relationship is a slow burn, I’d say friends to lovers vibes.  It felt realistic though, especially since both characters were dealing with some personal struggles, and I thought the author did a wonderful job incorporating mental health representation into the story both in terms of anxiety and depression. 

I read with my eyes and ears and really enjoyed the audiobook narrators, Kellen Boyle and Maria Liatis. I thought they did an exceptional job, especially when it came to the more emotional and vulnerable moments between Silas and Jo. 

Up Close & Personal is a wonderful debut from Ana Holguin, and I look forward to reading more from her!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

❓QOTD - Have you ever tried a spin class?  If not, what’s your preferred kind of exercise?
    📫 BOOK MAIL MONDAY 📫 Happy Monday, book fri 📫 BOOK MAIL MONDAY 📫

Happy Monday, book friends! I hope you all had a great weekend and were able to fit some reading time into your schedules. I had a relaxing weekend, finished up my April reads and started looking ahead to what I’m planning to read in May. 

That planning of course meant looking through my latest book mail, and I wanted to share these three upcoming releases from Berkley Romance that immediately jumped to the top of my May hopefuls list.  Thanks so much for the gifted books, @BerkleyRomance! ♥ 

I’m sharing a short teaser of each book in my caption but you can swipe through my slides if you would like to read the full synopsis for any of them.

🎬Dream On, Ramona Riley by Ashley Herring Blake, Clover Lake #1 (Pub Date - 5/13) - A small-town waitress and a Hollywood star’s worlds collide in this new romance by Ashley Herring Blake, USA Today bestselling author of Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date. 

🏁Ride with Me by Simone Soltani, Lights Out #2 (Pub Date - 5/20) - A marriage of convenience threatens to go off track in this steamy Formula 1 romance from the USA Today bestselling author of Cross the Line.

🏴‍☠️Rebel in the Deep by Katee Robert, Crimson Sails #3 (Pub Date - 5/20) - The rebellion’s fight turns into a battle for their hearts aboard the next sexy fantasy romance from Katee Robert, the New York Times bestselling author of Hunt on Dark Waters.

❓QOTD - What’s the last book mail you received? Are any of these on your radar?
    🔥 25 in 2025 Read #8 - WHAT WE KEEP 🔥 Jenni 🔥 25 in 2025 Read #8 - WHAT WE KEEP 🔥

Jennifer Millikin was a new-to-me author last year and her novel, Here for the Cake, ended up being one of my favorite romance reads of 2024.  I won What We Keep in a giveaway from one of my booksta-friends @wagonwheelreads, and I’m thrilled to report that it’s just as much of a gem as Here for the Cake. I love a second chance romance and I truly just ate this one up!

The writing was just so beautiful and I fell in love with both Avery and Gabriel.  They are these flawed, realistic characters who are so clearly meant to be together, but who are driven apart by the most tragic of circumstances.  My heart broke for them as everything they had built together comes crashing down around them, but I was fully invested in the second half of the book and the journal of healing and forgiveness that takes place. 

What We Keep is an emotional roller coaster for sure, particularly as it deals with some tough topics such as addiction, but it’s so worth the ride. 

If you enjoy an angsty emotional read that break your heart but then slowly put it back together and leave it filled with hope, What We Keep is the book for you!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

❓QOTD - What was your last five star read? Or how’s your weekend going? Do you have the Sunday Scaries yet?
    ⏰ Review - INSIGNIFICANT OTHERS ⏰ Author - Sa ⏰ Review - INSIGNIFICANT OTHERS ⏰

Author - Sarah Jio

Pub Date - 4/1/25

Thanks for the gifted e-arc @williammorrowbooks & thanks to @harperaudio for the gifted ALC. 

What would you do if you had a second chance to say yes to the one who got away?  That’s the premise of Sarah Jio’s heartfelt new love story, Insignificant Others. 

When we meet Lena, she believes that her boyfriend of two years is about to propose to her. When he instead shows up with Coldplay concert tickets and acts like he’s doing her a huge favor even though she doesn’t even like Coldplay, they fight and break up. Lena, confused and heartbroken, starts to question not just her relationship but everything about the path her life is on. 

She heads to see her beloved Aunt Rosie on Bainbridge Island in Seattle, knowing she can stay in her guest cottage and regroup, but when she wakes up the next morning, she finds herself in Paris married to a sexy Frenchman. 

Thus begins a time loop Lena finds herself in where every morning she wakes up in a new location with a new man in her life.  Sometimes it’s a stranger, sometimes it’s someone she has known from an earlier time in her life.  Some of the encounters are magical, some are adventures, while others are downright heartbreaking. 

What each has in common is that it provides Lena with a snapshot of what her life might have looked like if she had made different choices. 

I love a good time loop story and I loved how the author used the premise in such a unique way here to show Lena all of these “what ifs” in her life.  It just had me so invested in Lena’s journey and eager for her to wake up each day to see if today’s path might be the one that would stick.  In her journey through all of these insignificant others, who would turn out to be significant? 

 I knew I had to do an immersive read as soon as I realized Brittany Pressley was narrating. I’m so glad I did too because she did a fantastic job making each day of the time loop and all of the different characters feel distinctive and fresh. 

This one is perfect for fans of time loop stories, magical realism, and second chances.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

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