emileereadsbooks's reviews
1113 reviews

I have been a fan of the Napiers and Erin’s decoration philosophy for years. I love her even more now for showcasing lived in homes. So many times I see people hold themselves to magazine standards of what they think their homes should look like, when in reality, that’s all staged for photos and we really should just be staging our homes for living. Functionality and life within our homes doesn’t have to be unattractive, and we should embrace the seasons of how our homes serve us and our families. 

I did this one on audio with the physical book in front of me, and in my opinion that was the perfect way to take this in. 

Thanks to Simon Audio and Gallery Books for the gifted title. All opinions are my own. 

Ever since my first visit read of a book about the Biltmore, and then a subsequent visit to the estate itself, I have been fascinated by the stories that surround this grand home. This book doesn't give us as much in depth Biltmore lore, but it does serve us up a great story and some romance as well. 

Four women in different timelines are all connected by one wedding veil. Does it hold power, does it determine your path, or do your own actions determine who you are and where you are going?

In terms of historical fiction, this is on the lighter side, and the current storyline is much stronger than the historical one, but I was fully invested and entertained by this one. 

Content note: infidelity, grief, death of a parent, death, brief open door

Thanks to Simon Audio and Gallery Books for the gifted title. All opinions are my own. 

Told in verse, recipes, prose, and bit of Torah readings, this middle grade novel is a story of identity, family, and friendship. Hannah is trying to figure out her own Jewish identity by figuring out what she believes, and not based on all the opinions floating around her. 

This book deals with real life tensions of differences in opinion on religion and in grief. I found the characters frustratingly realistic. 

I think this is an great read for middle graders to read and discuss with a trusted adult about religion and belief and what our identity is based on. 

I loved this one on audio. I think the mixed media element worked in that format. 

Content Note: anti-semitism, hate crime, bullying, death of a grandparent

Thanks to Clarion for the gifted title. All opinions are my own. 

I really liked this book on my first read, but my reread bumped this one up to a loved status. I think reading it so close to the first book the second time around endeared me even more to Penelope and her kind heart. Throughout the book it is revealed over and over that Penelope leads with her heart, but that is she not just all feelings, she has smarts too. I loved this take on an uber feminine character. She is the most fun and girly, but that adds to her strength, it doesn’t detract from it.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson and Libro.fm for the gifted title. All opinions are my own. 

Luke! I love Luke. A super manly man who is also a big ‘ole softy. He is maybe my favorite modern book boyfriend (gasp, a big statement, I know!). And the fact that he falls for a princess in his own dreaded Hallmark style romance is *chef’s kiss* perfection. i could reread this book a dozen times and never tire of it. Which is saying a lot as someone who doesn’t really reread books! Love love love.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson and Libro.fm for the gifted title. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed The Mistletoe Prince the most and the others are very festive! The first is especially great for those who love romances with older protagonists. 

I can get easily frustrated at novellas for not nailing the pacing needed to have the proper build up and pay off of a love story, but Pepper Basham is a master of her craft and I of course loved this dive back into the world of Skymar and the Edgewoods. This novella is a great punctuation on the Skymar series. Seeing the love blossom between Charlie and Aron was so sweet and the way they have to pull back the facade each other is presenting to the world is delightful.

*Unfortunately I would skip the third novella in this collection.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson for the gifted title. All opinions are my own.

On both my original read and my reread, this book sucked me in. From the beginning you are thrust into the story and into relationship with these characters. You are rooting for them all. Plus, there is something so relatable about each of them! I am a sucker for a well written online meet cute since that is my own romantic origin story, and this one does not disappoint. Brody and Izzy are clearly a perfect match and watching their love story play out was like sitting in a warm cozy hug.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson for the gifted title. All opinions are my own.

This is much more than a story about a girl's desire to play baseball. It's about dreams and ambition, family obligation, and culture conventions and what they mean for us as individuals. This book isn't showy. It's not shocking. It's not big and loud. It's quiet. It celebrates nuance. It lets you sit in the details. You know these characters and their mannerisms intimately through the smallest description. No word is wasted and you will fly through this touching tale. I love reading about a time in history we don't get to visit much in our fiction. And this time in history could lend itself to a shocking and loud tale, but it is better served here with this lovely family friendly fare.  

Thanks to Revell for the gifted title. All opinions are my own. 

Not my usual reading fare, but it blends magical realism, with historical fiction and mystery making it such a fun reading experience. I read book 1 with my book club and it made for good discussion, so I had to quickly read books 2 and 3 as well. 

Book 3 ties off this series with a bow but I did feel like this story needed at least another book to really share out the full arc of what could have been. However, since these books go downhill from book 1, a fourth book wouldn't be great. Marion just can't seem to learn to trust anyone and thus is a bit annoying an unrelatable.