Top Ten Tuesday #14

Created by The Broke and The Bookish
Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

7 Books on my Spring 2021 TBR

1. Winterkeep by Kristin Cashore

I was so excited for this January 2021 release but I needed to re-read Graceling, Fire, and Bitterblue first. I finally finished my reread last week, so Winterkeep is definitely one of my next reads!

2. The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare 

I have owned this series for years now, as it was recommended to me over 10 years ago now. I actually messed up a bit and read The Mortal Instruments all the way through instead of reading Clare's books in publication order so I'm a bit upset that some of this series has already been spoiled for me in The Mortal Instruments finale... Nevertheless, I'm starting this series ASAP!

3. Meet Cute Diary by Emery Lee

I was just approved for an eARC of this book on NetGalley and I'm excited to dive in! It's a rom-com about Noah Ramirez, a trans boy who runs a romance blog that gives hope to other trans readers. Involving internet shenanigans and fake-dating, I'm excited to see what Lee has in store for us!

4. Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

Is anyone else super excited for the upcoming Shadow and Bone show?!?! I know that I am! I actually read Six of Crows in February of 2020 and just went back and read the original Grisha trilogy in February of 2021. I've got to prepare for the show in April! Now I've just got to finish off my show preparations by reading Crooked Kingdom.  I've really enjoyed the Grishaverse so far and definitely see myself reading the King of Scars books too, but probably not this Spring.

5. A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue really turned me on to V.E. Schwab's writing. I absolutely loved it! I recently picked up a copy of A Darker Shade of Magic and I hope to be able to pick it up to read soon. Magical Transportation between different versions of London sounds so fascinating!

6. A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

This one was actually on a previous Top 10-- my list of books I meant to read in 2020. I just checked out an ebook copy of it from my library, so here's to finally making this read a reality! I love a good thriller, especially when it's a murder mystery.  Will Pip and I find the real killer??

7. The Bright & The Pale by Jessica Rubinkowski

A magical duology inspired by Russian culture and mythology, and with a gorgeous cover to boot! This is Rubinkowski's debut, and I'm looking forward to getting my hands on it.

I could go further, but I think this is a realistic goal for the rest of Spring 2021. 

What's on Your Spring TBR?

ARC Review: Take Me Home Tonight by Morgan Matson

Take Me Home Tonight
by Morgan Matson
Publication Date: May 4^th 2021
Publisher: Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers
Find This Book: Take Me Home Tonight
Rating: 5/5

I was given an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Morgan Matson’s Take Me Home Tonight was utterly charming. I absolutely loved the book’s message about expanding your horizons and trying new things. I think it’s a really common storyline for high school seniors to freak out about not knowing what they want to do and then “find” themselves, and it was refreshing to see the exact opposite happen in this book. Stevie and Kat start out so sure of themselves and their world until it shatters around them. These two best friends realize how big the world truly is and how many opportunities they truly have available to them. This is such an important message to be sending, and it’s what I would go back and tell my younger self if I could. Maybe you love something you haven’t even considered yet. Before one thing becomes THE THING that pays all of your bills, try as many things as you can and find out what makes you happy. What makes you happy doesn’t have to be one thing, it can be lots of things, and just because you don’t think you can “make it” professionally doesn’t mean that you should cut whatever that is out of your life. You don’t have to be the best, you don’t have to do everything professionally, you just have to enjoy your hobbies and your free time.

Another component that made Take Me Home Tonight so special, was that it centered Stevie and Kat’s friendship and highlighted important platonic and familial relationships that they have and/or struggle with. It was especially endearing to watch Stevie navigate interacting with her step-siblings. Whether ‘traditional’ or ‘blended,’ families are complicated. Suddenly having three older siblings can be daunting and there are good and bad ways to cope with that change. Stevie isn’t perfect, well, really none of the characters are perfect, but their faults don’t define them. Their faults show them where they need to grow. 

Lastly, The Teri Timeline, as I like to call it, was such an unexpected and fantastic twist and I can’t wait to be able to talk about it with others!