All the Right Reasons by Bethany Mangle

Title: All the Right Reasons

Author: Bethany Mangle

Genre: Young Adult
Series: N/A

Hardcover, 304 pages 

Publication: February 15th 2022

Source: I received a review copy in exchange for a honest review.
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Cara Hawn’s life fell apart after her father cheated on her mother and got remarried to a woman Cara can’t stand. When Cara accidentally posts a rant about her father online, it goes viral—and catches the attention of the TV producers behind a new reality dating show for single parent families.

The next thing Cara and her mother know, they’ve been cast as leads on the show and are whisked away to sunny Key West where they’re asked to narrow a field of suitors and their kids down to one winning pair. All of this is outside of Cara’s comfort zone, from the meddling producers to the camera-hungry contestants, especially as Cara and her mother begin to clash on which suitors are worth keeping around. And then comes Connor.

As the son of a contestant, Connor is decidedly off-limits. Except that he doesn’t fit in with the cutthroat atmosphere in all the same ways as Cara, and she can’t get him out of her head. Now Cara must juggle her growing feelings while dodging the cameras and helping her mom pick a bachelor they both love, or else risk fracturing their family even more for the sake of ratings. Maybe there’s a reason most people don’t date on TV.

 

MY THOUGHTS

All the Right Reasons was pitched as The Bachelorette meets Gilmore Girls, and words have never been more accurate! Now, I’m not a reality show type gal but I absolutely adored this book. Cara and her mother Julia were a hoot. I definitely got the Gilmore Girl vibes; the humor and the mother-daughter relationship was spot on!

 I loved that Mangle didn’t go down the typical reality show path and instead we had Cara’s mother Julia as an older woman and divorcee lead picking from other divorcee/eligible men. But that’s not all, Cara joined her mom as she scoped out potential step-siblings. It was a literal family affair. While the whole premise of the novel is about Cara and her mother starting over, possibly with a new family; it was nice to see the main story focused on their mother-daughter relationship versus the relationships with the contestants. I loved it. It was a welcome change to see in a YA novel. Although, that’s not to say there isn’t any romantic relationships because there are!

 I loved everything about All the Right Reasons and enjoyed it from beginning to end. It was such a cute, all-round feel good read. There was a never a dull moment.Like most reality shows readers can expect drama, romance, shock and surprises. If I had to describe this book in one word it’d be: wholesome. I thought it was an unique and fun concept with such relatable and realistic characters. I highly recommend All the Right Reasons if you’re looking for a fun escapism or something that’ll make you laugh…you won’t regret it. Perfect for teens and adults!

 

Zodiac Academy: The Awakening by Susanne Valenti, Caroline Peckham

Title: Zodiac Academy: The Awakening

Author: Susanne Valenti, Caroline Peckham

Genre: NA
Series: Zodiac Academy #1

Paperback, 434 pages 

Publication: September 8th 2021  

Source: Personal library
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I’m a Gemini. Impulsive. Curious. Headstrong. A twin. Heir to a throne I know nothing about. And it turns out, I’m Fae.

But of course there’s a catch - all I have to do to claim my birth right is prove that I’m the most powerful supernatural in the whole of Solaria. And sure, technically that’s true as I’m the daughter of the Savage King. But the bit they didn’t put in the brochure was that every single Fae in this Kingdom would claim my throne if they could.

The school they’ve sent me to is both dangerous as sh*t and one helluva party. Vampires bite weaker students in the corridors, the Werewolf pack has orgies in the Wailing Wood at every full moon and don’t even get me started on the dark and twisted ways the Sirens use their powers on people’s emotions, or how my sinfully tempting Cardinal Magic teacher hosts detentions that leave people needing therapy.

Classes are totally interesting if you manage to live through them. And that Gemini star sign I mentioned? It now determines my elemental magic and affects my destiny, so learning astrology is essential if I’m going to beat down my classmates – which is actively encouraged by the way.

My biggest problem is the drool worthy Dragon shifter who has his eyes on my throne. He and his three psycho friends are determined to make my time here hell.

All I’ve got to do is survive. But fate might have other ideas.

Dammit, why couldn’t I have gotten a letter to Hogwarts?

 

MY THOUGHTS

This review is brought to you by another booktok recommendation: Zodiac Academy: The Awakening. I swear this book been the talk of last year… and still is. Seems like everybody has read it or is currently reading it. And as always curiosity got the best of me. I had to know what the hype was about! As the saying goes never judge a book by its cover and I am so glad I didn’t because the Zodiac Academy covers were are pretty awful. Also side note, has anyone noticed all the self-published Booktok trending books were all fae-related such as Zodiac Academy…what are the odds?

Having finished Zodiac Academy: The Awakening, I honestly don’t know how I feel about it. I’ve never had a book make me feel so conflicted before. It had everything I despise in a book and yet I kind of liked it? It kept me enthralled from page one and I breezed through the book easily. I swear, I devoured this book within a couple of days. The writing wasn’t like most novels where it was trying to be lyrical and poetic, it was pretty basic and easily digestible for the audience nowadays. They captured the typical Gen Z voice perfectly.

I’m going to start off with what I liked. I really liked the sisters, Tory and Darcy. The book was very character driven from the beginning to end. The cast of characters were many and yet everyone was well-written and developed. The plot wasn’t anything new but I was glued and invested in the girls’ journey as they navigated the dangerous water that is Zodiac Academy. Also the concept of using Astrology as the building block of the series was quite unique and the horoscope clues were clever. I loved it.

What I didn’t love was the torment and abuse afflicted upon the girls. And yessss, I know the book literally says supernatural bullies but this was leaning towards abuse via students and teachers. Tory and Darcy didn’t roll over and take the punches but they also didn’t put up a real fight or anything. Another thing I didn’t like was how all the love interest were douchebag assholes. None of them had any redeeming quality, save for being hot. I know it’s only the first book and we’ll eventually get the backstory to the guys, but man, so far they suck. And then the teacher! They were just as bad, if not worst than the students because they’re adults they should know better. The more I think about this book, the more it seems convoluted, chaotic and messy. And yet I couldn’t seem to stop reading this. There’s definitely something about the authors’ writing and the main characters that kept me going. I am curious to see where this series takes the Vega twins. I hope that there will be less bullying going forward. Or at least have the twins kick major ass. I can’t stand reading about the twins getting tortured chapter after chapter.

It makes me really wonder…is it disturbing that these authors, women, are writing books where females are the subject of violence and preyed upon for the Young Adult/New Adult audience or are WE disturbed for reading it…and kind of enjoying it? Both is slightly fucked up huh? This book isn’t for everyone. I’m not even sure if it’s for me. But I’m not going to lie. I want to continue to see what happens next. Is this the best literature out there? No way. Is it decent literature? Probably not. Is it a good form of escapism from reality? Yes, no doubt about it. If you’re like me and are curious about this book...give it a try! If you have Amazon Prime, you can read the first book for free.

The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski

Title: The Winner's Curse 

Author: Marie Rutkoski

Genre: YA
Series: The Winner's Curse # 1

Hardcover, 355 pages 

Publication: March 4th 2014 Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Source: Personal library
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As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions.

One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin.

But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

 

MY THOUGHTS

The Winner’s Curse has been on my TBR for years and honestly I’m not sure why I waited so long. The Winner’s Curse has everyone’s favorite trope: Enemy to Lover. It’s certainly one of mine. But I like that the author switched it up with the male lead as the captive and the heroine as the ‘Master’; the dynamic was interesting. Because I’ve read plenty of novels where the woman was in the subservient role. But there was nothing subservient when it came to Arin, the stubborn Herrani young man.

Despite the cover and the year it was released, The Winner’s Curse wasn’t a Fantasy novel like I thought. It’s a historical fiction that involved colonization, rebellion and those on the opposing sides of war. Which is where we found our two leads. The Valorians conquered the Herranis and those that survived the conquest became slaves. But The Herranis were not people who rolled over and accepted their fate. They waited and planned. The first step was to take the Valorians down from within which was why Arin posed as a slave at auction and had himself sold to the general’s daughter.

The book started off shaky, I didn’t know what to make of Kestrel and Arin. Their relationship felt clumsy, somewhat odd and definitely rushed. It felt almost like instalove but not quite that. I’m not sure if Kestrel was lonely and that was why she was so quick to be open and trusting of Arin, but there’s that. Arin spent most of the time fending indifference and acted cold towards Kestrel; but then he declared his love for Kestrel at at the end which seemed confusing and out of the blue. It didn’t feel realistic or believable to me.

As I write this, I’m not sure if I loved it or not. I did like the story and characters enough that I didn’t know the book ended until I reached the very last page expecting another chapter or two. And now I’m eager to see how Kestrel and Arin’s relationship unfolds after that abrupt cliffhanger ending. All in all a decent read that was engaging and well written.