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22h

This Inevitable Ruin

Matt Dinniman

The time has come! Book seven in the bestselling Dungeon Crawler Carl series is here! They call it Faction Wars. The ninth floor. Nine armies, each led by rich and powerful aliens from across the galaxy. Each team has one objective: to capture and hold the castle at the very center of the battlefield. Strategy, alliances, pitched battles, and, of course, betrayal... It all makes for great fun and even greater television. After all, none of these powerful aliens really die when they’re playing war. Except this time. This time, winner takes all. Those who fall, stay in the ground. As the AI continues its rapid decline, Carl and company take advantage of the chaos. For the first time ever, the crawlers are fighting back. They are now one of the nine teams. And this season, there’s a tenth army on the playing field. The NPCs, who are normally used as nothing but cannon fodder, have become fully self-aware and formed a team of their own. For Donut and Katia, the stakes are even higher. Only one of them will be allowed to leave this level. If they all want to survive, they’re going to need a little help from a veteran or two. This is it. This is what they’ve been fighting toward. This is war. This inevitable ruin.

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22h

kellywilder

Aug 28, 2026

Broken Country

3.0

Enjoyment: 2.0Quality: 4.0Characters: 3.0Plot: 3.0

💔

🐑

🧑‍⚖️

I need to do a better job at reading the descriptions before I read a book. I don’t know how or why this made it into my TBR by goodness it’s depressing.

2 stars for me, personally. But for the actual quality of book, 4 stars.

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1d

The Husbands

Holly Gramazio

An exuberant debut, The Husbands delights in how do we navigate life, love, and choice in a world of never-ending options? When Lauren returns home to her flat in London late one night, she is greeted at the door by her husband, Michael. There’s only one problem—she’s not married. She’s never seen this man before in her life. But according to her friends, her much-improved decor, and the photos on her phone, they’ve been together for years. As Lauren tries to puzzle out how she could be married to someone she can’t remember meeting, Michael goes to the attic to change a lightbulb and abruptly disappears. In his place, a new man emerges, and a new, slightly altered life re-forms around her. Realizing that her attic is creating an infinite supply of husbands, Lauren confronts the question: If swapping lives is as easy as changing a lightbulb, how do you know you’ve taken the right path? When do you stop trying to do better and start actually living?

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1d

kellywilder

Aug 27, 2026

The Invisible Husband of Frick Island

2.0

Enjoyment: 1.0Quality: 1.0Characters: 1.0Plot: 2.0Audiobook: 1.0

👫

🎧️

🏝️

I found this so slow and boring. 🥱 Piper felt very manic pixie dream girl and Anders was so self-absorbed and city mouse on the island. I also don’t know if I’ve read a book where every generation felt like the author has never been that age nor met anyone that age.

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5d

kellywilder

Aug 23, 2026

Barbie: Dreamscape

3.5

Enjoyment: 4.0Quality: 3.5Characters: 5.0Plot: 3.0

👠

🩷

🎨

I mean it’s Barbie! It’s pink and glittery and there are accessories. But she also doubts and hits rock bottom.

I know there is only so much someone can do with an existing IP like this, but I think it turned out so well. It has sweet innocent vibes that remind me of reading Sweet Valley High as an early teen.

I don’t know if the plan is to be a stand alone, but I hope it turns into a series. I might not be the target age demographic, but even adults need to be reminded that they are loved, creative, and capable. I think it reads more middle grade than YA. I’m not sure where the age cut off is for that but it feels like it’s a little too light for YA.

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5d

Barbie: Dreamscape

Alex Aster

Step out of the box and into the unexpected in this high-stakes, fantasy-infused Barbie young adult novel, from the premier voice in teen fiction. Out of the box. Into the unexpected. Barbie’s life is perfect. She lives in a pink-hued paradise called Heartland where everything is in order and everyone has a role to play, thanks to the mysterious and all-powerful beings who will soon assign her a Fate at graduation from the enchanted Swancrest Academy. She’s worked hard to earn a good one. Her years of endless studying and acing every challenge are about to pay off. But when the unthinkable happens and Barbie is left Fateless—the first in Heartland’s history—her carefully ordered world shatters. Shaken and uncertain, Barbie must confront a future she never one with no clear path forward at all. Yet when a mysterious necklace begins to pulse with hidden power, she is drawn beyond Heartland’s protective mists into a daring journey across extraordinary lands. From sun-drenched shores to treacherous, ever-shifting landscapes, to shadowed forests steeped in secrets and magic, each realm will test Barbie’s courage, sharpen her wits, and awaken strengths she never knew she possessed—all while drawing her ever closer to a buried truth that could change her world forever. A richly imagined coming-of-age tale from the premier voice in teen fiction, this is a story about defying expectations, rewriting the rules, and discovering that the greatest possibilities lie in stepping out of the box…and into the unexpected.

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1w

Barbie: Dreamscape

Alex Aster

Step out of the box and into the unexpected in this high-stakes, fantasy-infused Barbie young adult novel, from the premier voice in teen fiction. Out of the box. Into the unexpected. Barbie’s life is perfect. She lives in a pink-hued paradise called Heartland where everything is in order and everyone has a role to play, thanks to the mysterious and all-powerful beings who will soon assign her a Fate at graduation from the enchanted Swancrest Academy. She’s worked hard to earn a good one. Her years of endless studying and acing every challenge are about to pay off. But when the unthinkable happens and Barbie is left Fateless—the first in Heartland’s history—her carefully ordered world shatters. Shaken and uncertain, Barbie must confront a future she never one with no clear path forward at all. Yet when a mysterious necklace begins to pulse with hidden power, she is drawn beyond Heartland’s protective mists into a daring journey across extraordinary lands. From sun-drenched shores to treacherous, ever-shifting landscapes, to shadowed forests steeped in secrets and magic, each realm will test Barbie’s courage, sharpen her wits, and awaken strengths she never knew she possessed—all while drawing her ever closer to a buried truth that could change her world forever. A richly imagined coming-of-age tale from the premier voice in teen fiction, this is a story about defying expectations, rewriting the rules, and discovering that the greatest possibilities lie in stepping out of the box…and into the unexpected.

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1w

kellywilder

Aug 20, 2026

My Friends

4.0

Enjoyment: 4.5Quality: 4.0Characters: 5.0Plot: 3.5

🌊

🖼️

🚂

This was my first Fredrik Backman read. It took me a minute to get used to the non-linear storytelling (or just Ted's way of telling a story) but once I did, I really enjoyed it. I loved all the art talk and the characters all felt real and heartfelt. Louisa just YELLING things was so funny to me.

I think when someone recommended Theo of Golden to me because it had an artist in it, this is what I was looking for.

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1w

My Friends

Fredrik Backman

#1 New York Times bestselling author Fredrik Backman returns with an unforgettably funny, deeply moving tale of four teenagers whose friendship creates a bond so powerful that it changes a complete stranger’s life twenty-five years later. Most people don’t even notice them—three tiny figures sitting at the end of a long pier in the corner of one of the most famous paintings in the world. Most people think it’s just a depiction of the sea. But Louisa, an aspiring artist herself, knows otherwise, and she is determined to find out the story of these three enigmatic figures. Twenty-five years earlier, in a distant seaside town, a group of teenagers find refuge from their bruising home lives by spending long summer days on an abandoned pier, telling silly jokes, sharing secrets, and committing small acts of rebellion. These lost souls find in each other a reason to get up each morning, a reason to dream, a reason to love. Out of that summer emerges a transcendent work of art, a painting that will unexpectedly be placed into eighteen-year-old Louisa’s care. She embarks on a surprise-filled cross-country journey to learn how the painting came to be and to decide what to do with it. The closer she gets to the painting’s birthplace, the more nervous she becomes about what she’ll find. Louisa is proof that happy endings don’t always take the form we expect in this stunning testament to the transformative, timeless power of friendship and art.

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1w

My Friends

Fredrik Backman

#1 New York Times bestselling author Fredrik Backman returns with an unforgettably funny, deeply moving tale of four teenagers whose friendship creates a bond so powerful that it changes a complete stranger’s life twenty-five years later. Most people don’t even notice them—three tiny figures sitting at the end of a long pier in the corner of one of the most famous paintings in the world. Most people think it’s just a depiction of the sea. But Louisa, an aspiring artist herself, knows otherwise, and she is determined to find out the story of these three enigmatic figures. Twenty-five years earlier, in a distant seaside town, a group of teenagers find refuge from their bruising home lives by spending long summer days on an abandoned pier, telling silly jokes, sharing secrets, and committing small acts of rebellion. These lost souls find in each other a reason to get up each morning, a reason to dream, a reason to love. Out of that summer emerges a transcendent work of art, a painting that will unexpectedly be placed into eighteen-year-old Louisa’s care. She embarks on a surprise-filled cross-country journey to learn how the painting came to be and to decide what to do with it. The closer she gets to the painting’s birthplace, the more nervous she becomes about what she’ll find. Louisa is proof that happy endings don’t always take the form we expect in this stunning testament to the transformative, timeless power of friendship and art.

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1w

kellywilder

Aug 17, 2026

Field Guide for the Formerly Villainous

3.0

Enjoyment: 3.0Quality: 2.0Characters: 2.0Plot: 2.0

⚔️

🐶

🧑‍🌾

Sweet but too short.

I enjoyed the premise, but found that overall it was rushed. It read more like a tumblr story that got a cover than a fully fleshed out story. Reading that it was from Storyloom (and then looking up Storyloom) I wasn’t incorrect in my assessment.

Would have loved to see it built out more.

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1w

Cozy Fantasy

Gold: Finished 15 Main Quest books.

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1w

Field Guide for the Formerly Villainous

Autumn K. England

What happens to all the mind-controlled minions when the evil villain is finally vanquished? When Oaklin Nettlewood (accidentally) joined an evil cult, they and the rest of their small community were promptly whammied by mind control magic and forced to do unspeakable things. Now, years later, the realm's heroes have saved the day, defeated the villain, and shattered the last remnants of the spell...leaving destruction in their wake. Because the minions who were nothing more than obstacles were Oaklin's last remaining family and friends, and now as the entire realm celebrates, Oaklin is left alone to pick up the pieces. And so, with a spell-damaged memory and whole bushel of trauma, they buy a small farm on the edge of Mossley's Rest and swear an After all the things they were forced to do with their magic, they will never use it again. Ever. But the gentle ghost who lives in Oaklin's house has other ideas. And as she coaxes Oaklin out of their shell and back into the world, Oaklin begins to find companionship (a grumpy horse and a very good boy dog), friendship (a local bard and magical baker who should just kiss already), and even romance (a paladin-librarian who makes Oaklin's heart flutter.) Healing comes in gentle waves, and Oaklin doesn't have to do it alone. So what does it mean when an inquisitor comes to town just as Oaklin begins to think that maybe, just maybe, they deserve a happy ending after all?

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1w

Field Guide for the Formerly Villainous

Autumn K. England

What happens to all the mind-controlled minions when the evil villain is finally vanquished? When Oaklin Nettlewood (accidentally) joined an evil cult, they and the rest of their small community were promptly whammied by mind control magic and forced to do unspeakable things. Now, years later, the realm's heroes have saved the day, defeated the villain, and shattered the last remnants of the spell...leaving destruction in their wake. Because the minions who were nothing more than obstacles were Oaklin's last remaining family and friends, and now as the entire realm celebrates, Oaklin is left alone to pick up the pieces. And so, with a spell-damaged memory and whole bushel of trauma, they buy a small farm on the edge of Mossley's Rest and swear an After all the things they were forced to do with their magic, they will never use it again. Ever. But the gentle ghost who lives in Oaklin's house has other ideas. And as she coaxes Oaklin out of their shell and back into the world, Oaklin begins to find companionship (a grumpy horse and a very good boy dog), friendship (a local bard and magical baker who should just kiss already), and even romance (a paladin-librarian who makes Oaklin's heart flutter.) Healing comes in gentle waves, and Oaklin doesn't have to do it alone. So what does it mean when an inquisitor comes to town just as Oaklin begins to think that maybe, just maybe, they deserve a happy ending after all?

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1w

spoilers

kellywilder

Aug 16, 2026

Theo of Golden

1.0

Enjoyment: 1.0Quality: 1.0Characters: 1.0Plot: 1.5

✝️

🖼️

😇

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1w

Theo of Golden

Allen Levi

One spring morning, a stranger named Theo arrives in the small Southern city of Golden. He doesn’t explain much about where he came from or why he’s there—but when he visits the local coffeehouse, where pencil portraits of the people of Golden hang on the walls, he begins purchasing them, one at a time, and giving each portrait to the person depicted. In exchange, he asks only for the person’s story. And so portrait by portrait, person by person, secrets are revealed, regrets are shared, and ordinary lives are profoundly altered. A story of giving and receiving, of seeing and being seen, Theo of Golden is an unforgettable novel about the power of generosity, the importance of connection, and the quiet miracles that happen when we choose kindness and wonder.

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kellywilder started reading...

2w

Theo of Golden

Allen Levi

One spring morning, a stranger named Theo arrives in the small Southern city of Golden. He doesn’t explain much about where he came from or why he’s there—but when he visits the local coffeehouse, where pencil portraits of the people of Golden hang on the walls, he begins purchasing them, one at a time, and giving each portrait to the person depicted. In exchange, he asks only for the person’s story. And so portrait by portrait, person by person, secrets are revealed, regrets are shared, and ordinary lives are profoundly altered. A story of giving and receiving, of seeing and being seen, Theo of Golden is an unforgettable novel about the power of generosity, the importance of connection, and the quiet miracles that happen when we choose kindness and wonder.

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2w

kellywilder

Aug 10, 2026

Swift River

4.5

Enjoyment: 4.0Quality: 4.5Characters: 4.0Plot: 3.0

💔

👞

🚘

poignant and heartbreaking. As a reader, I wish Ma's motives to stay in Swift River would have been explained, but with the daughter as the narrator, that's not the point.

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