Everybody has secrets, but one person's secrets will get people killed.

We see the vast majority of this book through Luna who is a bit of an unreliable narrator because she is losing her sight. This book has a lot of characters though as the seven of them are all back together and some of them have significant others that are also mentioned. Then we have this mysterious Bea who is a large focus of it, but she is dead and they are all still dealing with her death as it was very sudden and they never really got to say goodbye in any way. Add on to this the creepy old mansion that has it's own secrets and hidden hallways, plus each of the characters in this book has a secret some we find out, some we never do a lot is going on.

Overall I did enjoy this thriller. It kept me on my toes and I was never sure what was going to happen next because of how many different people were involved. At times it even felt like the house became it's own character because of how many secrets it held. Luna surprisingly figured most of the mystery out and was able to piece it together even with all the lies and secrets that were going on around her. Her vision problems were well explained and helped to add to the atmosphere and the unreliability of what everyone was saying around her. Luna had to pay closer attention to all the little things that were happening to figure out what was going on between people and why certain things were not adding up. When the big reveal happened I was a little shocked and it was just wow when you consider how many people had to be involved to make that happen which also made it so heartbreaking.

I'm looking forward to reading more by this author in the future!

Includes:
- Creepy Mansions
- Reunions
- Mental Health

 

 

 

 

I was not sure what to expect going into this book. 
I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed the banter between the characters and how supportive everyone was. This is a second-chance romance which means it is a bit of a bumpy ride between them as they talk and listen to each other about what happened in the past and why they broke up previously. Rae and Van's past is complicated though because of Van's job and the complications that can come with that type of job. But these two did really care for each other and why they broke up in the past was truly because of miscommunication and failing to tell important information as they got to know each other more. 
With these complications I was still rooting for the two of them and hoping they could work it out because you could tell that they did genuinely care and love each other. 

Overall this was a quick romance read that is a nice second-chance romance story full of friendship, and love. 


The spicy scenes were fitting and nothing got dark between the two characters. 

90% of this book is good. I loved the setting of the Christmas Tree Farm and how it was able to support the family and the drive that Madison had to make the Tree Farm succeed again. The lovely neighbors and the kindness and help they provided Madison with was nice as well, due to how she was struggling to get all of the new trees planted herself. I loved seeing the friendship start growing into more. However, I feel like the relationship with the sister was just something that was put in place to cause conflict. They didn't interact much at all despite living and working together unless it had something to do with the neighbor, which was frustrating and annoying all at the same time. The holidays themselves in this book and how the farm was able to keep going was inspiring and I loved seeing so many of them working together to make it work. 

However once again with Carlson's book, the very ending did slightly ruin it for me. It's okay for two characters to just keep dating especially when they've just started dating to begin with. We don't need a marriage proposal! 

 

It's always interesting to learn the history of our nation and how the westward expansion happened. The Apache Wars is well-researched and covers a lot of topics that other westward expansion history books don't. We see things from the Indigenous people's perspective, how they dealt with the people moving into their areas, and how the tribes worked together or against one another. It was an interesting read. 

Hope Abalze tells the story of Nida who uses her poetry to express her feelings about what she is going through and the things happening around her. She comes from a long line of poets, but her family members have stopped sharing or even writing poetry because it can be dangerous and they want to protect the people they love. Nida uses her poetry though and when it is shared without her knowing it leads to trouble with an elected official's campaign and has many more repercussions that come with it. She struggles to deal with these repercussions and we see that through the story from the hardships she goes through and what her family and community go through as well. This book was eye-opening and made me think more outside of my community and how just one little thing can get blown out of proportion in the media. We've been seeing a lot recently with how one little thing becomes a week-long story in the news. It's a lot and it is a good reminder to take a step back and look at what really matters and the people that are being potentially harmed because of these stories. 

- Friendship and Family
- Poetry
- Faith
-Misunderstanding

 Cursed Cruise by Victoria Fulton and Faith McClaren
This book is very creepy, it follows three teenagers who are making a name for themselves going and exploring haunted places and posting what they find online. However one of them has the ability to see ghosts/spirits and that makes it all the more realistic. The group has been invited to go on a cruise of the newly renovated boat similar to the Queen Mary. As soon as they step on the boat they know something is wrong, and that it is going to be a very long cruise for everyone.
Overall this book was delightfully creepy in the only way YA can be. It has you worried for characters but knowing that they will most likely all be okay and that somehow they will figure it out in the end. While it's a bumpy ride to get to that ending, its worth it. The characters learn so much about themselves and the ghosts on this ship making such a good quick read.

Perfect for those wanting a horror book that isn't too graphic or scary. 

 

Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America by Michael Harriot

This book tells the story of America and how it was built by people of all colors. It covers a lot of history, and you will see contradictions from what you were taught in school, but that is because it is not possible to teach all of history and all the figures that helped make it in the current way history is taught. I listened to the audiobook version of this, and I highly recommend it, as it is easy to follow along with. Harriot did a good job of dealing with the serious topics, teaching them, and bringing in a few laughs simultaneously.