I'll be honest, I wasn't the biggest fan of Bride, so I went into Mate unsure if it was going to be for me. But I'm happy to report that this one won me over!

We're back in the same setting as Bride, this time following Serena and Koen, who were side characters from the first book, and their story had everything I enjoyed about Bride -- the quirky humor and the loveable characters -- plus an interesting side plot and great chemistry between the love interests.

I really enjoyed the different storylines in this one. Compared to Bride, I felt like there was more adventure and we got to explore different aspects of the territory, like the history of the Northwest pack, the territory itself, and interactions with other groups living in the area. It just felt less repetitive which kept me engaged throughout.

The characters were another highlight. Serena and Misery's sisterhood makes me wish I had a sister of my own. Their relationship added a lot of laugh-out-loud moments, mostly because Misery is absolutely hilarious.

Koen is the perfect, broody but down bad love interest. The yearning, self-control, and tension throughout was chef's kiss. The small things he'd do for Serena to care for her had me kicking my feet and smiling throughout the book.

Overall, if you want a quick paranormal romance with humor, adventure, and a grumpy love interest, this book could be for you. Even if you struggled with Bride like I did, give Mate a chance!

I adored both Caraval and Once Upon a Broken Heart, so I could not wait to get my hands on Alchemy of Secrets. I went in knowing this would be a different story but still expecting the whimsical, fairytale-esque escapism that made me fall in love with her YA series. I quickly realized this book isn't that kind of vibe. Once I reset my expectations and gave it another shot, I found myself enjoying it – though it doesn't quite reach the magic of Caraval or OUABH for me.

The treasure hunt premise hooked me immediately, and I loved breaking down clues as we went along. The LA setting makes for straightforward world-building. My main issue was the pacing dragged. A lot of the first half is devoted to explaining how all the characters are connected with one another, but I feel like almost none of that information actually mattered once the plot got moving anyways. All the info laid out in the first half could have probably been condensed so we could have gotten to the plot a lot quicker.

Speaking of characters, they were all flat as a board, including our main character Holland. I find that characters and their personalities/backstories are what bring stories to life. These characters all felt like plot devices rather than real people, which made the story kind of boring to read. Also, Holland was way too trusting and just putting her life in the hands of people she didn't know!

Overall, I missed everything that makes reading a Stephanie Garber book feel like stepping into a dream. This one just didn't deliver the escapism I crave from her writing.

If you're looking for a fast-paced scavenger hunt story that doesn't require much emotional investment, you may enjoy this one though. Skip if you want vibes similar to Caraval or OUABH!

Every Spiral of Fate was the my most highly anticipated release of 2025 and it did not disappoint.

While the pacing remains a little slow and more character-driven for the first half, we do finally get some really satisfying answers to huge questions that have been lingering since the first and second books. And of course, the story wouldn't be complete without Alizeh's beloved ragtag group of friends. I loved getting to see even more of them in this book.

That said, there were things that I disliked and ultimately made me feel like the author was stalling for more time until book five. Every moment alone between Cyrus and Alizeh is stolen by interruptions, abrupt departures, or plot interference, which prevented them from talking about their relationship with one another. One or two times is fine, but anything beyond that becomes a bit annoying.

The yearning, however, is still 10 out of 10 and heartaching. It's the kind of painful yearning between characters who are in love with each other but refuse to admit it. Truly the best I've ever read.

Overall, I recommend this book for fans of slow-burn romance, tension, and yearning. I've already pre-ordered book five and am counting the days until release day!

When I picked up Vesselless, I thought I was signing up for an enemies to lovers romance between a vengeful ghost king and the daughter of his usurper, who also happens to be fighting in a brutal competition in the hopes of winning and using the prize (a wish) to end her betrothal.

While most of the promised elements are technically there, the execution needs a lot of work.

My biggest issue was the worldbuilding, which suffered from two extremes: either overwhelming info-dumps or new terminology that goes unexplained for a few chapters. It was presented in a way that made the entire plot hard to follow. This meant that when we got to the big reveals, they fell flat because I didn't know who or what we were talking about. Oh, and the three kingdoms being named so similarly (Zo, Zem, and Zarr) made it impossible to keep things straight. Related to this, a lot of the interesting elements appeared throughout without clear purpose or integration into the story. Because of this issue, the presentation of the plot is a little muddled and, at times, doesn't make much sense.

The enemies-to-lovers romance was nowhere to be seen, by the way. This was insta-love.

Overall, I did not enjoy this as much as I would have hoped. There is a good foundation, but every detail of the plot, world, and characters needed to be fleshed out more and explained more coherently.

This could be good as a starter romantasy or if you just want to read a fast paced story without thinking too much about it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the free copy in exchange for an honest review!

Bride has been sitting on my TBR forever, and with October finally here, it felt like the perfect time to read it. I went in with pretty high expectations because I've heard so much hype about Ali Hazelwood's books. Overall, it was fun while it lasted, but it's probably not a book I'll be thinking about again.

The main characters were great, especially Misery. Her sarcastic, self-deprecating humor is my exact taste in comedy, so she made the book readable even when the plot lagged in the middle. The dynamic between her and Lowe was fun and I appreciated that Misery wasn't afraid to take up space in Were territory.

The writing is also accessible, which makes this a quick read. There's also a mystery plot woven into the romance that added some intrigue, and the political tension between the vampires and werewolves, while basic, was probably the most interesting part of the worldbuilding. It could have been deeper and provided just enough to support the story.

Here is my main gripe: Without spoiling anything, the third act conflict was jarring. The characters' actions didn't feel consistent with their established personalities, so the tension felt contrived while also being totally unnecessary. The main storyline was already providing enough tension, so this forced third act yanked me out of the story and I really never got back into it after that.

Overall, this was fun. If you're an Ali Hazelwood fan or looking for a light palette cleanser between heavier reads, Bride will probably hit the spot.

I usually steer clear of fairytale retellings because nothing can recreate the magic of the originals, but Never Ever After completely changed my mind. Imagine Cinderella but darker, with Chinese folklore woven in. It has all the classic elements of a good fairytale with a twist—wicked relatives, morally gray men, and a fairy godmother who makes our heroine's dreams come true (well, in this case a fairy god fish). Needless to say, I was absolutely swept away, and I'm bumping up all of Sue Lynn Tan's books on my TBR!

The characters are a standout part of this story. Both Prince Zixin and Jin, the male leads, are morally grey with hidden intentions. Stuck in the middle is Yining, who's thrust onto this chessboard of politics between the different courts. While Yining isn't used to life in the royal court, I appreciated that she's smart and always makes decisions in her best interests, especially with the stakes being so high. The romance ended up being a love triangle, which I wasn't expecting, but it was so well done and woven into the court politics that it didn't feel like a typical love triangle. It was layered with real tension and stakes for Yining based on who she chose in the end.

This book leans heavily into political intrigue, and the tension between the courts is present in every relationship between the characters, including the romance. While it's marketed as YA, the sophisticated plotting and politics will appeal to adult readers as well. I know I enjoyed trying to puzzle together everyone's schemes, negotiations, and next moves.

Never Ever After has become a new favorite, and I can't wait to pick up the sequel!

✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for the ARC in exchange for the honest review!