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spellbindingtomes's reviews
347 reviews
The Hollow Plane by Allison Carr Waechter
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ธ๐ข๐ด ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ง๐ข๐ต๐ฆ. ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ข๐ด ๐ข๐ด ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ท๐ช๐ต๐ข๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ด ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ณ๐ช๐ด๐ฆ.
๐๐ข๐ง๐ข ๐๐ฒ๐ง๐จ๐ฉ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ:
Otherworldly fires threaten the fragile balance of power in the city of spires. Mina Wildfang and Ashbourne Claymore hold the key to saving Pravhna from destruction, but neither remembers the truth of their pastโor what they mean to one another.
Can their burgeoning love survive the inferno coming for them? Or will they succumb to the ghosts of their past and let the city burn?
โข
โข
โข
The Hollow Plane, book 1 of The Aethereals Duology, is a suspenseful gaslamp fantasy romance and I was completely hooked from the start. Brimming with mystery, intrigue, and a complete cast of loveable characters, Allison writes a captivating story about found family and a cursed love.
The complex, but entirely fascinating worldbuilding and magic system was unlike anything I've read before. I loved the Regency steampunk vibes the setting gave me.
Don't even get me started with our two MCs. I was so curious when I saw that this had a twist on the enemies to lovers trope and as I read on, I was completely astounded. Mina and Ash, two strangers with lost memories, find themselves working together to discover who's been setting magical fires throughout the city.
And let's just say these fires weren't the only thing that were hot. The romantic tension between Mina and Ash. Their undeniable chemistry. Their flaming passion was ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ! Their love reminded me so much of Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask, especially with their mysterious past.
"๐๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ฎ๐ฆ, ๐ช๐ต ๐ช๐ด ๐ญ๐ช๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐'๐ท๐ฆ ๐ข๐ญ๐ธ๐ข๐บ๐ด ๐ฌ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฏ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ."
The Hollow Plane had everything I love: witches, cat familiars, feys, fated mates, and found family. Allison wrote such a unique and riveting tale and I am counting the days until Book 2, The Ravaged Dark is released!
Read if you love:
๐ฅstar-crossed lovers
โค๏ธโ๐ฅchronic pain rep
๐ฅfated mates
โค๏ธโ๐ฅfae romance
๐ฅa twist on enemies-to-lovers
โค๏ธโ๐ฅfound family
๐ฅanimal companions
๐๐ข๐ง๐ข ๐๐ฒ๐ง๐จ๐ฉ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ:
Otherworldly fires threaten the fragile balance of power in the city of spires. Mina Wildfang and Ashbourne Claymore hold the key to saving Pravhna from destruction, but neither remembers the truth of their pastโor what they mean to one another.
Can their burgeoning love survive the inferno coming for them? Or will they succumb to the ghosts of their past and let the city burn?
โข
โข
โข
The Hollow Plane, book 1 of The Aethereals Duology, is a suspenseful gaslamp fantasy romance and I was completely hooked from the start. Brimming with mystery, intrigue, and a complete cast of loveable characters, Allison writes a captivating story about found family and a cursed love.
The complex, but entirely fascinating worldbuilding and magic system was unlike anything I've read before. I loved the Regency steampunk vibes the setting gave me.
Don't even get me started with our two MCs. I was so curious when I saw that this had a twist on the enemies to lovers trope and as I read on, I was completely astounded. Mina and Ash, two strangers with lost memories, find themselves working together to discover who's been setting magical fires throughout the city.
And let's just say these fires weren't the only thing that were hot. The romantic tension between Mina and Ash. Their undeniable chemistry. Their flaming passion was ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ! Their love reminded me so much of Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask, especially with their mysterious past.
"๐๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ฎ๐ฆ, ๐ช๐ต ๐ช๐ด ๐ญ๐ช๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐'๐ท๐ฆ ๐ข๐ญ๐ธ๐ข๐บ๐ด ๐ฌ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฏ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ."
The Hollow Plane had everything I love: witches, cat familiars, feys, fated mates, and found family. Allison wrote such a unique and riveting tale and I am counting the days until Book 2, The Ravaged Dark is released!
Read if you love:
๐ฅstar-crossed lovers
โค๏ธโ๐ฅchronic pain rep
๐ฅfated mates
โค๏ธโ๐ฅfae romance
๐ฅa twist on enemies-to-lovers
โค๏ธโ๐ฅfound family
๐ฅanimal companions
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, War, and Classism
Empire of Shadows by Jacquelyn Benson
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Gore, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Colonisation
Ready or Not by Cara Bastone
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
๐๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฌ๐ด ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฏ ๐ข๐ต ๐ฎ๐ฆ, ๐ข ๐ด๐ญ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ฆ๐น๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด๐ด๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ, ๐ง๐ช๐ญ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ข ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฑ๐ต๐ฉ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ญ๐บ ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ค๐ข๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ด ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ฌ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ข๐ฏ ๐จ๐ช๐ท๐ฆ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ. ๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ด ๐ข ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฐ ๐ฌ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ด ๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ก ๐ฌ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฏ.
Wow....I went on a journey with this book. I went from being iffy on the MCs to not wanting their story to end by the time I finished ๐ฅน I officially think surprise pregnancy is an amazing trope if done right and Cara Bastone did a fantastic job with this book and handled a delicate situationโwhere the baby isn't the MMC'sโperfectly.
Eve's personality and inner dialogue was so fun to listen to. Alex Finke did an amazing job and I highly recommend the audiobook! I loved that we were immersed into her mindset and saw first hand her fears of being alone while raising a baby.
Childhood friends to lovers isn't usually my favorite but I think what made this work was the slow burn aaand, of course, SHEP. BALDER. At first, I just thought of him as the extremely friendly older brother, but he slowly and gradually made me fall for him the same as Eve. What sold it for me was the bike (iykyk). He was such a refreshing character to read. He's a golden retriever and cinnamon roll all in one. He's 'other-centered', doesn't have a selfish or jealous bone in his body and all of his decisions and actions are made with Eve in his mind. He goes above and beyond for her and the baby because he's just the BEST.
If you're like me and can't deal with love triangles, and think this is going to be one, it's NOT! Ethan, the baby daddy, was such a likeable character and I couldn't help but just want him to be happy.
The only con about this book was that I would've really wanted to read an epilogue, or a X years later chapter. I got so sad as I was nearing the end! I just really didn't want to finish this book!
Ready or Not is a story about finding love in the most unexpected places & it's definitely become a new favorite romance of mine.
๐๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ข๐ด ๐ต๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฎ๐ฆ, ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ต๐ฉ๐ด ๐ข๐จ๐ฐ, ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ข๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฎ๐ฆ. ๐๐ฏ๐ง๐ช๐ฏ๐ช๐ต๐ฆ๐ญ๐บ ๐ฌ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฅ๐ด ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ข ๐ฅ๐ข๐ณ๐ฌ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต. ๐'๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ช๐ด๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ข ๐ด๐ฆ๐ค๐ณ๐ฆ๐ต ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฅ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ข๐ด ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ด๐ฐ๐ญ๐ท๐ฆ. ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ต'๐ด ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ธ๐ข๐ฏ๐ต๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ต๐ข๐ฌ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ญ๐ช๐ฌ๐ฆ. ๐๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ-๐ค๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ด ๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ด, ๐ฎ๐ข๐บ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ฆ'๐ด ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ธ๐ข๐ช๐ต๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฅ๐ฐ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ข๐ฌ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ.
Pick this up, if you love:
๐ผsurprise pregnancy
๐ฒchildhood friends to lovers
๐ผslow burn
๐ฒbest friend's brother
๐ผhe falls first
๐ฒthe BEST cinnamon roll/golden retriever MMC
Wow....I went on a journey with this book. I went from being iffy on the MCs to not wanting their story to end by the time I finished ๐ฅน I officially think surprise pregnancy is an amazing trope if done right and Cara Bastone did a fantastic job with this book and handled a delicate situationโwhere the baby isn't the MMC'sโperfectly.
Eve's personality and inner dialogue was so fun to listen to. Alex Finke did an amazing job and I highly recommend the audiobook! I loved that we were immersed into her mindset and saw first hand her fears of being alone while raising a baby.
Childhood friends to lovers isn't usually my favorite but I think what made this work was the slow burn aaand, of course, SHEP. BALDER. At first, I just thought of him as the extremely friendly older brother, but he slowly and gradually made me fall for him the same as Eve. What sold it for me was the bike (iykyk). He was such a refreshing character to read. He's a golden retriever and cinnamon roll all in one. He's 'other-centered', doesn't have a selfish or jealous bone in his body and all of his decisions and actions are made with Eve in his mind. He goes above and beyond for her and the baby because he's just the BEST.
If you're like me and can't deal with love triangles, and think this is going to be one, it's NOT! Ethan, the baby daddy, was such a likeable character and I couldn't help but just want him to be happy.
The only con about this book was that I would've really wanted to read an epilogue, or a X years later chapter. I got so sad as I was nearing the end! I just really didn't want to finish this book!
Ready or Not is a story about finding love in the most unexpected places & it's definitely become a new favorite romance of mine.
๐๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ข๐ด ๐ต๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฎ๐ฆ, ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ต๐ฉ๐ด ๐ข๐จ๐ฐ, ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ข๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฎ๐ฆ. ๐๐ฏ๐ง๐ช๐ฏ๐ช๐ต๐ฆ๐ญ๐บ ๐ฌ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฅ๐ด ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ข ๐ฅ๐ข๐ณ๐ฌ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต. ๐'๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ช๐ด๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ข ๐ด๐ฆ๐ค๐ณ๐ฆ๐ต ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฅ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ข๐ด ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ด๐ฐ๐ญ๐ท๐ฆ. ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ต'๐ด ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ธ๐ข๐ฏ๐ต๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ต๐ข๐ฌ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ญ๐ช๐ฌ๐ฆ. ๐๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ-๐ค๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ด ๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ด, ๐ฎ๐ข๐บ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ฆ'๐ด ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ธ๐ข๐ช๐ต๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฅ๐ฐ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ข๐ฌ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ.
Pick this up, if you love:
๐ผsurprise pregnancy
๐ฒchildhood friends to lovers
๐ผslow burn
๐ฒbest friend's brother
๐ผhe falls first
๐ฒthe BEST cinnamon roll/golden retriever MMC
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Pregnancy
Moderate: Infertility and Miscarriage
Don't Let Her Stay by Nicola Sanders
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, Murder, and Gaslighting
Minor: Animal cruelty
The Perfect Son by Freida McFadden
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, and Murder
Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
๐๐ฆ๐ค๐ข๐ถ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐'๐ฎ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ, ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ณ๐บ, ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐บ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ช๐ด ๐ฅ๐ช๐ง๐ง๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต. ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐'๐ฎ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ, ๐ ๐ธ๐ข๐ฏ๐ต ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ข๐บ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ ๐ธ๐ข๐ฏ๐ต ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ธ๐ช๐ฏ.
Who would have thought I would fall in love with a chess romance!? I was skeptical at first but I really enjoyed this one.
Ali wrote such an engaging romance that had me hooked from the start. There were so many swoon worthy moments. I loved each of Mallory and Sawyer's interactions and their banter was so funny.
Their first match with each other read like an intense sports competition. I haven't played chess since I was a kid so when Mallory and Sawyer played, the writing had me feeling like I was watching a secret passionate conversation unfold between them.
I did have some issues that held me back from giving this a 5 star. For one, I wasn't a fan of the 3rd act breakup which I'm recognizing is a pattern in Ali's books. And there were times I had to remind myself that Mallory is 18 years old because she was a little frustrating.
HOWEVER, that being said, I would definitely pick this up again. Check & Mate was my third Ali Hazelwood book (I'll post my Bride review soon!) and I find her writing so fun and entertaining.
๐๐ฆ ๐ช๐ด ๐ด๐ฐ ๐ฅ๐บ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฎ๐ช๐ค. ๐๐ฆ ๐ง๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต๐ด ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ข๐ด๐ต ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ช๐ฏ๐ต, ๐ถ๐ด๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐บ ๐ฑ๐ช๐ฆ๐ค๐ฆ, ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐บ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต, ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐บ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ๐ค๐ฆ, ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ด๐ด๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ข๐ณ๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐ณ๐บ. ๐๐ฆ ๐ช๐ด ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ญ๐บ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ต๐ช๐ค๐ถ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ด. ๐๐ฆ ๐ช๐ด ๐ง๐ถ๐ฏ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ช๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด๐ต๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ช๐ค๐ต๐ข๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ. ๐๐ฆ ๐ช๐ด ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ข๐ฅ๐ท๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ถ๐ณ๐ฆ.
Read if you love:
โ๏ธYA romance
โ๏ธrivals to lovers
โ๏ธhe falls harder
โ๏ธchess
โ๏ธsports romance
Who would have thought I would fall in love with a chess romance!? I was skeptical at first but I really enjoyed this one.
Ali wrote such an engaging romance that had me hooked from the start. There were so many swoon worthy moments. I loved each of Mallory and Sawyer's interactions and their banter was so funny.
Their first match with each other read like an intense sports competition. I haven't played chess since I was a kid so when Mallory and Sawyer played, the writing had me feeling like I was watching a secret passionate conversation unfold between them.
I did have some issues that held me back from giving this a 5 star. For one, I wasn't a fan of the 3rd act breakup which I'm recognizing is a pattern in Ali's books. And there were times I had to remind myself that Mallory is 18 years old because she was a little frustrating.
HOWEVER, that being said, I would definitely pick this up again. Check & Mate was my third Ali Hazelwood book (I'll post my Bride review soon!) and I find her writing so fun and entertaining.
๐๐ฆ ๐ช๐ด ๐ด๐ฐ ๐ฅ๐บ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฎ๐ช๐ค. ๐๐ฆ ๐ง๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต๐ด ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ข๐ด๐ต ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ช๐ฏ๐ต, ๐ถ๐ด๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐บ ๐ฑ๐ช๐ฆ๐ค๐ฆ, ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐บ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต, ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐บ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ๐ค๐ฆ, ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ด๐ด๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ข๐ณ๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐ณ๐บ. ๐๐ฆ ๐ช๐ด ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ญ๐บ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ต๐ช๐ค๐ถ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ด. ๐๐ฆ ๐ช๐ด ๐ง๐ถ๐ฏ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ช๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด๐ต๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ช๐ค๐ต๐ข๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ. ๐๐ฆ ๐ช๐ด ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ข๐ฅ๐ท๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ถ๐ณ๐ฆ.
Read if you love:
โ๏ธYA romance
โ๏ธrivals to lovers
โ๏ธhe falls harder
โ๏ธchess
โ๏ธsports romance
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Sexism, and Car accident
This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
๐'๐ท๐ฆ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ช๐ป๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ข ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฐ ๐ธ๐ข๐ฏ๐ต๐ด ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ช๐ป๐ฆ๐ด ๐ด๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฆ๐ณ๐ท๐ฆ๐ด ๐ช๐ต ๐ช๐ด ๐ข ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฏ๐จ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ.
๐๐ข๐ง๐ข ๐๐ฒ๐ง๐จ๐ฉ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ:
Soledad Barnes, a meticulous planner and domestic expert, faces a life-altering crisis when her marriage ends due to betrayal. Forced to rebuild her life while caring for her daughters, she rediscovers herself. As she navigates this new chapter, an unexpected and potentially risky romance emerges, challenging Soledad to decide if she's ready to trust again and embrace a new chance at love.
โข
โข
โข
So, I have mixed feelings on this one. Before I Let Go is one of my top romance reads of the year so far, and I adored Soledad in that book, so I was thrilled to get her story. Her journey of self-discovery in This Could Be Us is beautifully written, but it took me a while to get invested.
A big reason for this is that I went in expecting another romance-heavy story. However, This Could Be Us is actually a slower-paced women's fiction that focuses more on Soledad's personal growth - which isn't a bad thing at all! It just caught me off guard.
After adjusting my expectations about the book's focus, I found myself fully absorbed in Soledad's story. It was empowering to see her choose her own happiness despite all the resistance she might meet.
That said, the ending felt a bit rushed. I would've loved to see more of Soledad and Judah's relationship after they officially got together - more moments with their families blending, scenes with Judah and the girls, or Soledad with the boys.
If you loved Before I Let Go, approach this as more of a women's fiction with a dash of romance. It's a touching exploration of finding happiness and strength after life's setbacks.
๐ ๐ธ๐ข๐ฏ๐ต ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฌ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ช๐ง ๐ ๐ข๐ฎ ๐ข๐ญ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ, ๐ช๐ต ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฏ'๐ต ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ญ๐บ. ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ ๐ค๐ข๐ฏ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต. ๐'๐ฎ ๐ต๐ข๐ฌ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ช๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฌ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด๐ต๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฎ๐บ๐ด๐ฆ๐ญ๐ง ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ต๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ. ๐๐ฐ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ๐ต. ๐๐ฐ ๐ญ๐ช๐ด๐ต๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ช๐ต.
What to expect:
๐ผ self-discovery
๐งก afro-latina FMC
๐ผ strong friendships
๐งก women empowerment
๐ผ forbidden romance
๐งก autism representation
๐๐ข๐ง๐ข ๐๐ฒ๐ง๐จ๐ฉ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ:
Soledad Barnes, a meticulous planner and domestic expert, faces a life-altering crisis when her marriage ends due to betrayal. Forced to rebuild her life while caring for her daughters, she rediscovers herself. As she navigates this new chapter, an unexpected and potentially risky romance emerges, challenging Soledad to decide if she's ready to trust again and embrace a new chance at love.
โข
โข
โข
So, I have mixed feelings on this one. Before I Let Go is one of my top romance reads of the year so far, and I adored Soledad in that book, so I was thrilled to get her story. Her journey of self-discovery in This Could Be Us is beautifully written, but it took me a while to get invested.
A big reason for this is that I went in expecting another romance-heavy story. However, This Could Be Us is actually a slower-paced women's fiction that focuses more on Soledad's personal growth - which isn't a bad thing at all! It just caught me off guard.
After adjusting my expectations about the book's focus, I found myself fully absorbed in Soledad's story. It was empowering to see her choose her own happiness despite all the resistance she might meet.
That said, the ending felt a bit rushed. I would've loved to see more of Soledad and Judah's relationship after they officially got together - more moments with their families blending, scenes with Judah and the girls, or Soledad with the boys.
If you loved Before I Let Go, approach this as more of a women's fiction with a dash of romance. It's a touching exploration of finding happiness and strength after life's setbacks.
๐ ๐ธ๐ข๐ฏ๐ต ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฌ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ช๐ง ๐ ๐ข๐ฎ ๐ข๐ญ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ, ๐ช๐ต ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฏ'๐ต ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ญ๐บ. ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ ๐ค๐ข๐ฏ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต. ๐'๐ฎ ๐ต๐ข๐ฌ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ช๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฌ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด๐ต๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฎ๐บ๐ด๐ฆ๐ญ๐ง ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ต๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ. ๐๐ฐ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ๐ต. ๐๐ฐ ๐ญ๐ช๐ด๐ต๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ช๐ต.
What to expect:
๐ผ self-discovery
๐งก afro-latina FMC
๐ผ strong friendships
๐งก women empowerment
๐ผ forbidden romance
๐งก autism representation
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Dementia and Abandonment
Beach Read by Emily Henry
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
๐๐ฆ ๐ค๐ข๐ฏ ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ง๐ถ๐ญ๐ญ๐บ ๐ฌ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ท๐ฆ. ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ธ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฎ, ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ข๐ญ๐ธ๐ข๐บ๐ด ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฏ.
๐๐ข๐ง๐ข ๐๐ฒ๐ง๐จ๐ฉ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ:
Two writers with opposing styles - a cynical romance novelist and a brooding literary author - challenge each other to switch genres for the summer while living as neighbors. They agree to inspire each other's writing through themed outings, all while promising not to fall in love. Their creative experiment may end up changing more than just their writing.
โข
โข
โข
Unfortunately, Beach Read didn't quite hit the mark for me. I struggled to connect with the plot and characters, and the audiobook had me drifting off more than I'd like to admit ๐ซ
I also thought the tone of the book was all over the place. I went into this thinking I'd be reading a breezy summer romance (which we do get at times!), but it deals with pretty heavy topics.
I can't help but feel that maybe I just picked this up at the wrong timeโso soon after reading and LOVING Book Lovers. It's one of those rare cases where I'm considering giving Beach Read another shot down the road.
For now, it's a solid 3-stars for me. But don't let my review stop you from checking it out! I'm definitely in the minority here. So many people have Beach Read as their favorite EmHen book. And after diving into three of her books, I've realized that her diverse writing style means there's likely an EmHen novel out there for every type of romance reader, even if not every book resonates with everyone.
So give Beach Read a shot because you might end up loving it ๐งก
Read if you like:
โ๐ผ rivals to lovers
๐ next door neighbor
โ๐ผ small town romance
๐ writers romance
โ๐ผ family secrets
๐๐ข๐ง๐ข ๐๐ฒ๐ง๐จ๐ฉ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ:
Two writers with opposing styles - a cynical romance novelist and a brooding literary author - challenge each other to switch genres for the summer while living as neighbors. They agree to inspire each other's writing through themed outings, all while promising not to fall in love. Their creative experiment may end up changing more than just their writing.
โข
โข
โข
Unfortunately, Beach Read didn't quite hit the mark for me. I struggled to connect with the plot and characters, and the audiobook had me drifting off more than I'd like to admit ๐ซ
I also thought the tone of the book was all over the place. I went into this thinking I'd be reading a breezy summer romance (which we do get at times!), but it deals with pretty heavy topics.
I can't help but feel that maybe I just picked this up at the wrong timeโso soon after reading and LOVING Book Lovers. It's one of those rare cases where I'm considering giving Beach Read another shot down the road.
For now, it's a solid 3-stars for me. But don't let my review stop you from checking it out! I'm definitely in the minority here. So many people have Beach Read as their favorite EmHen book. And after diving into three of her books, I've realized that her diverse writing style means there's likely an EmHen novel out there for every type of romance reader, even if not every book resonates with everyone.
So give Beach Read a shot because you might end up loving it ๐งก
Read if you like:
โ๐ผ rivals to lovers
๐ next door neighbor
โ๐ผ small town romance
๐ writers romance
โ๐ผ family secrets
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Grief, and Death of parent
All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฏ๐ฐ ๐ฎ๐ข๐ต๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ธ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ฐ, ๐ฏ๐ฐ ๐ฎ๐ข๐ต๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ณ๐ฅ ๐ธ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ณ๐บ, ๐ธ๐ฆโ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ช๐ต ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ ๐ธ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐จ. ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐บ ๐ญ๐ช๐ต๐ต๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ช๐ด ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ง๐ข๐ถ๐ญ๐ต; ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ธ๐ฆโ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ง๐ช๐ต, ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ต๐ฉ๐บ. ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ด๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ต๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ๐ด ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ข๐ถ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐บ ๐ด๐ค๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฎ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ญ๐ช๐ฑ.
๐๐ข๐ง๐ข ๐๐ฒ๐ง๐จ๐ฉ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ:
Isabelle Drake's toddler son Mason was abducted a year ago while the family slept. With the case cold, Isabelle, plagued by insomnia, becomes obsessed with finding him. She agrees to a true-crime podcast interview, hoping for new leads. However, the podcaster's probing questions about her past, combined with her sleep deprivation, cause Isabelle to question her memories of the night Mason disappeared and even her own trustworthiness. Despite this, she remains determined to uncover the truth about her son's fate.
โข
โข
โข
My first Stacy Willingham book and it was an utterly gripping psychological thriller! Stacy's portrayal of maternal anguish and guilt resonated powerfully with me. I felt every ounce of Isabelle's desperation and guilt as she searches for her missing son. I also found myself getting sad and angry for her (especially with her encounters with the detective!). The story expertly blends past and present, creating an unreliable narrator that had me constantly second-guessing.
If you do decide to read this and I hope you do, please please don't skip the Author's Note at the end. Stacy's reasons for writing this book and her thoughts on motherhood hit so close to home.
๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ก ๐๐ค๐ข๐ฅ๐ก๐๐ฉ๐๐ก๐ฎ ๐๐ก๐ค๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ฃ ๐๐ฃ ๐๐ญ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ'๐จ ๐จ๐๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ฎ ๐จ๐ค ๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ฎ.
I highly recommend the audiobook. Karissa Vacker narrates this brilliantly, intensifying Isabelle's heart-wrenching journey. With unexpected twists, complex characters, and a deep dive into the psyche of a sleep-deprived, traumatized mother, this book is impossible to put down. A must-read for thriller fans, especially those who appreciate intricate character studies and exploring the depths of maternal instinct.
What to expect:
๐ค unreliable narrator
๐ฉถ missing child
๐ค true crime podcast
๐ค past and present timelines
*please check TWs before reading
๐๐ข๐ง๐ข ๐๐ฒ๐ง๐จ๐ฉ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ:
Isabelle Drake's toddler son Mason was abducted a year ago while the family slept. With the case cold, Isabelle, plagued by insomnia, becomes obsessed with finding him. She agrees to a true-crime podcast interview, hoping for new leads. However, the podcaster's probing questions about her past, combined with her sleep deprivation, cause Isabelle to question her memories of the night Mason disappeared and even her own trustworthiness. Despite this, she remains determined to uncover the truth about her son's fate.
โข
โข
โข
My first Stacy Willingham book and it was an utterly gripping psychological thriller! Stacy's portrayal of maternal anguish and guilt resonated powerfully with me. I felt every ounce of Isabelle's desperation and guilt as she searches for her missing son. I also found myself getting sad and angry for her (especially with her encounters with the detective!). The story expertly blends past and present, creating an unreliable narrator that had me constantly second-guessing.
If you do decide to read this and I hope you do, please please don't skip the Author's Note at the end. Stacy's reasons for writing this book and her thoughts on motherhood hit so close to home.
๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ก ๐๐ค๐ข๐ฅ๐ก๐๐ฉ๐๐ก๐ฎ ๐๐ก๐ค๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ฃ ๐๐ฃ ๐๐ญ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ'๐จ ๐จ๐๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ฎ ๐จ๐ค ๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ฎ.
I highly recommend the audiobook. Karissa Vacker narrates this brilliantly, intensifying Isabelle's heart-wrenching journey. With unexpected twists, complex characters, and a deep dive into the psyche of a sleep-deprived, traumatized mother, this book is impossible to put down. A must-read for thriller fans, especially those who appreciate intricate character studies and exploring the depths of maternal instinct.
What to expect:
๐ค unreliable narrator
๐ฉถ missing child
๐ค true crime podcast
๐ค past and present timelines
*please check TWs before reading
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Gaslighting
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
๐ ๐ด๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ข ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ต๐ช๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ถ๐ฏ-๐ด๐ถ๐ช๐ค๐ช๐ฅ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ด๐ถ๐ช๐ค๐ช๐ฅ๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐ช๐ด๐ด๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ.
๐๐ข๐ง๐ข ๐๐ฒ๐ง๐จ๐ฉ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ:
Ryland Grace awakens alone on a spaceship millions of miles from Earth, with no memory of who he is or his mission. As his memories slowly return, he realizes he's humanity's last hope to solve a scientific mystery and save Earth from extinction. Despite being isolated in space, Ryland must overcome seemingly impossible odds to complete his crucial task before time runs out.
โข
โข
โข
Project Hail Mary is a rollercoaster of emotions, blending humor with dread in a captivating sci-fi adventure. Andy Weir's brilliant storytelling made the complex science accessible, but either way you don't need to fully comprehend it to appreciate the entire book.
The plot twists are mind-blowing. I loved that we learn alongside Ryland as he recovers his memories. Andy masterfully sets up these moments, making them feel both shocking and inevitable.
If there's one thing you take away from my review, please let it be this: ๐น๐ถ๐๐๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐๐ฑ๐ถ๐ผ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ!! Ray Porter's narration in the audiobook is phenomenal, bringing the characters to life. His performance of a certain lovable character was absolutely unforgettable.
This book was such an exhilarating read (listen!), yet it was also filled with wholesome moments and heart-warming friendships that will stay with you long after you finish.
Whether you're a sci-fi fan or not, Project Hail Mary is a thrilling, funny, and fast-paced journey through space that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
What to expect:
๐ sci-fi adventure
๐พ thriller
๐ mystery
๐พ hilarious MC
๐ loveable side characters (iykyk)
๐๐ข๐ง๐ข ๐๐ฒ๐ง๐จ๐ฉ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ:
Ryland Grace awakens alone on a spaceship millions of miles from Earth, with no memory of who he is or his mission. As his memories slowly return, he realizes he's humanity's last hope to solve a scientific mystery and save Earth from extinction. Despite being isolated in space, Ryland must overcome seemingly impossible odds to complete his crucial task before time runs out.
โข
โข
โข
Project Hail Mary is a rollercoaster of emotions, blending humor with dread in a captivating sci-fi adventure. Andy Weir's brilliant storytelling made the complex science accessible, but either way you don't need to fully comprehend it to appreciate the entire book.
The plot twists are mind-blowing. I loved that we learn alongside Ryland as he recovers his memories. Andy masterfully sets up these moments, making them feel both shocking and inevitable.
If there's one thing you take away from my review, please let it be this: ๐น๐ถ๐๐๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐๐ฑ๐ถ๐ผ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ!! Ray Porter's narration in the audiobook is phenomenal, bringing the characters to life. His performance of a certain lovable character was absolutely unforgettable.
This book was such an exhilarating read (listen!), yet it was also filled with wholesome moments and heart-warming friendships that will stay with you long after you finish.
Whether you're a sci-fi fan or not, Project Hail Mary is a thrilling, funny, and fast-paced journey through space that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
What to expect:
๐ sci-fi adventure
๐พ thriller
๐ mystery
๐พ hilarious MC
๐ loveable side characters (iykyk)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief