Book Review: "The Social Circle" by Sophie Wan

“After all, if friendship is a plant that needs to be watered regularly, theirs should have withered to nothingness long ago. But maybe real friendship is not a plant. Maybe it’s a mountain. Sometimes difficult to ascend. But there, always, through the storms and the seasons.”

This was so good! I had been eyeing this book for a few months and I finally picked it up over the weekend. I love stories about friendships and how they go off course.

Ten years ago, Maggie met Adam, Charles, and Hari, shortly after she arrived as a transfer student at the University of California at Berkeley. Together, they create Circle, initially as an effort to help their fellow students navigate the school’s clubs, but it eventually becomes the first major social media platform.

As Circle grows in popularity, the friends have to balance the challenges of college and managing user demands and expectations. At the same time, the line between friendship and love gets blurry, which causes friction on the business side. And when it all falls apart, Maggie finds herself on the outside looking in.

Ten years later, as Circle gets ready to celebrate its 10-year anniversary, Maggie receives a personal invitation to join the other three on a remote Norwegian island. She’s not sure if she can handle rehashing the history among them, but her new company could use the publicity. Will they be able to move past the issues that derailed their friendships, or will the hurt and anger win again?

I loved the fact that the book dwelled more on the relationships between the friends and how they handled the growing business than the platform itself. It made me a little nostalgic for a time in my life where things were simpler and you could just enjoy your friends without life getting in the way. This was really, really good!

Book Review: "Nowhere to Go But Anywhere" by Jessica Rao

I really enjoyed this! Jessica Rao’s debut novel is a thought-provoking and emotional story about a young woman trying to find her way.

Helena has just started her freshman year at SUNY Albany. She’s not sure if college is for her, and Albany is a far cry from her home in Brooklyn. She spends a lot of time on the campus bus, which drives through downtown Albany and back again.

She meets Henry on a bus ride one day. He seems to be a bit of a drifter like her, and talks a lot about following in Jack Kerouac’s footsteps and heading to California. Henry invites her to move in with him and another friend, and she finds a job waiting tables to make enough money to go out west with Henry.

Waiting tables introduces her to Sonya, a fellow waitress who encourages Helena to flirt with the customers to get better tips. And when Charlie, a wealthy older man, takes an interest in Helena, she convinces her to go out with him so she can benefit financially.

While Charlie would be her ticket to getting enough money to leave with Henry, Helena is torn. She has an on-again, off-again fling with Tommy, her other roommate, but she never seems to know where she stands with him. How can she find the courage to forge her own path without having to rely on someone who wants to take more from her than she’s willing to give?

I found this to be a surprisingly emotional read at times. Sometimes it was easy to forget that Helena was as young as she was, but she had just finished her freshman year of college. She was a really dynamic character despite her immaturity at times and her indecisiveness.

Book Review: "Taipei Story" by R.F. Kuang

TFW an author whose previous work you’ve enjoyed comes out with a new book you’re excited about and it disappoints you. I hate it when that happens. I definitely had high hopes for this!

Lily is a Chinese-American student who just finished her freshman year at Yale. She plans to spend the summer at an intensive language program in Taipei, where she hopes she’ll be able to better communicate in the language of her heritage. While she knows some Chinese, she really wants to become fluent.

Students from all over the world attend this and similar programs. But there are several of her fellow students from Yale in attendance as well, and she’s even rooming with someone she knows. They quickly immerse themselves in Chinese culture, food, and tourist attractions, and revel in the idea of speaking only Chinese while on campus for classes.

But Lily quickly realizes the divide between understanding a language and being able to communicate fully in it. It’s so much more than knowing how to order food or learning idioms. The difficulty of her classes, coupled with tensions with her roommate, leave her feeling alone and adrift.

She learns that her maternal grandfather, who lives in mainland China, has died. She remembers seeing her grandparents when she was younger, but their relationship slowly devolved into periodic phone calls where very little of substance was discussed. As she grieves this loss, she wonders about her grandparents’ lives, asking questions that no one can really answer.

The idea of trying to find your cultural identity when you feel alone is a powerful one. Unfortunately, I felt like the book dwelled far too much on facts about Chinese language, culture, and history, and not enough on Lily’s story. And I didn’t feel that she evolved much throughout the book. Bummer.

Book Review: "Love You More" by Emily Giffin

I had forgotten how much I love the way Emily Giffin writes! Not only was this book romantic and emotional, but it also really made me think about what I would do if faced with the situations the main characters found themselves in. And I’m honestly still not sure!

Billie had always wanted to be a doctor. Now she and two of her friends run a reproductive clinic in New York City. She’s also fallen in love with Dean, a trauma surgeon. This relationship makes her happy and feels so stable.

The night after Dean’s surprise marriage proposal, she gets a phone call from Mick, her first love. They fell in love in high school and dated through college, but when she left Wisconsin for medical school, their relationship couldn’t survive. The pain and loss devastated Billie for some time.

It’s been years since she’s spoken to Mick. But he’s calling with news that upends Billie’s happiness. Before she knows it she’s back in Wisconsin, reconnecting with her old friends and seeing Mick for the first time in a different light. It’s painful but cathartic, and yet it leaves her both secure in the choices she’s made and wondering if the path she took is the right one.

There were so many beautiful moments in this book. While the plot wasn’t surprising, I loved seeing it all unfold the way it did. The characters weren’t completely likable (but who is?) but most of their actions were understandable. I was actually sad to see this end!

Book Review: "With Friends Like You" by Amy Chozick

Wow, this book was wild! I honestly didn’t know what to expect but I couldn’t put it down. Thanks so much to Dutton and NetGalley for the advance copy!

Emily loves her infant son and can’t get enough of him. But she’s struggling with physical pain since his birth and the lack of sleep is taking its toll on her. She loves her husband, Roman, but he’s always working, so she’s mostly on her own.

As she takes the baby to playgroups and classes, she thinks about Daisy. Daisy was her college roommate—she gave Emily confidence and companionship, and Emily felt like they were soulmates. But when Daisy’s family stopped paying for college, she started dancing at a strip club and taking drugs, and soon dropped out. Not long after, Daisy disappeared from her life completely.

Emily has spent years trying to find what happened to Daisy. She obsessively scans pornographic magazines, travels to strip clubs, and even hires a private investigator, but to no avail. And then one day, Daisy reappears.

Daisy quickly reclaims her place in Emily’s life. She’s good with the baby and willing to watch him when Emily goes back to work. The two of them build a luxury refuge for mothers of young infants, with childcare specialists to watch the children and teach them language skills and music, while they relax, exercise, and take advantage of designer drugs, vibrators, and alcohol. But Daisy still maintains her air of mystery—she doesn’t talk about her past and doesn’t really share about what she does to make money. Will she disappear again?

There’s a lot more to this book than I can describe without giving anything away. I was completely hooked on the story and wondered how it would end.

This will publish 7/21.

Book Review: "Isaac" by Curtis Garner

I read queer books all year long, but for Pride Month I definitely increase the number. For my first read of Pride, I stumbled upon this gem, which I liked more and more with every page I turned.

Isaac is finishing high school in London. He’s a great student, particularly in English and writing, and dreams of being a success. He’s also gay and desperate for his first encounter, which comes via an app. He quickly becomes addicted to the thrill of being desired, although he also becomes familiar with the fickleness of men on the apps.

One night at a party he meets Harrison, a 28-year-old artist, and Isaac falls quickly. He loves to be part of a couple, to be exposed to a world and friends different from those he’s familiar with. Harrison is quixotic, and little by little, Isaac starts to feel less confident and needier when he’s in his presence. But is this the way relationships are supposed to feel?

“Happiness was not a discovery to be had, like finding money on the ground. It was exactly as his mother had described: something he didn’t realise he was experiencing until he was no longer experiencing it, in the same way that misery was not something that ended and began depending on where you were; it stayed with you, even if it changed in form.”

The time draws closer to Isaac’s leaving for university in Manchester. He makes some interesting discoveries about himself, Harrison, and his mother, which force him to stand up for himself and speak his mind once and for all. But what will this do to his relationships?

This really was a beautifully written book. Isaac’s character definitely grew on me, and I loved Cherish, Moya, and Karim, too. I really could identify with the ways Isaac felt he needed to be different in order to have a relationship with Harrison. What a great kickoff to Pride Reads!

Book Review: "Frat Around and Find Out" by Devon McCormack

I like reading “important” books that challenge me as much as the next person. But sometimes I need a smutty M/M romance. This hit the spot and actually had more emotional complexity than I was expecting.

Sigma Alpha and Alpha Theta Mu are two rival fraternities. They’re constantly trying to one up each other, and when the annual TaskFrat challenges come around, the two are always neck and neck until the very end.

Lance is the president of Alpha Theta Mu. He takes his responsibilities seriously, especially when it comes to battling their foes. And he has a worthy rival in Ty, the Sigma Alpha president.

Ty is supremely confident about everything, including his prowess with women. He’s the type to love ‘em and leave ‘em, and he teases Lance for focusing more on feelings than conquests. But he also can’t seem to get Lance out of his mind, and not for competitive reasons. What’s that about?

Lance, too, realizes that Ty has an inexplicable hold over him. Is it possible that he’s crushing on his rival? The more they’re pushed together, the more they’re drawn to each other. Is this just a curiosity thing for the both of them, or are there feelings behind the attraction? And how will the brothers of both of their frats handle this?

I’m excited that this is the first book in a series, because I really enjoyed it. Both Ty and Lance are dealing with grief-related issues, and it was nice to see how each helped the other. (And in case you were wondering, the steam was pretty hot.)

Book Review: "The Entanglement of Rival Wizards" by Sara Raasch

I’ve been meaning to read this for a few months and I’m so glad I finally did. I love the way Sara Raasch combines romance, humor, some heavy emotional content, and fantasy. Her last two books, The Nightmare Before Kissmas and Go Luck Yourself, were fun and sexy, and this was a worthy follow-up, as well as the start of a new series.

Sebastian is a human wizard, and a graduate student at Lesiara University. He’s a bit of a black sheep in his family, as everyone else has gone into the military rather than college. And his family really doesn’t respect the choices he has made.

Sebastian’s biggest rival is Thio (short for Elethior). Thio is half-elf and comes from a wealthy family, many of whom have attended Lesiara before him. Seb and Thio have been engaged in a prank war, but Seb thinks that Thio is just a pretentious jerk, coasting on his family’s legacy.

The two are both finalists for a research grant which could change the winner’s life. But rather than compete for the grant, if they work together, they can share the money. Of course, having to work with Thio drives Seb crazy, but they learn they have more in common than either imagined.

While Seb hates Thio, his disdain only fuels Thio’s desire. Of course, Seb is so blind to anything positive Thio does, so he has no idea about how he feels. But there’s a larger issue here: Seb has a history with Thio’s family that led to some serious trauma. And that leads to a difficult decision for Seb: his research or Thio.

This was a little heavier emotionally than I was expecting, but there’s lots of humor and banter to lighten the load. I often struggle with enemies to lovers romances because the enemies part doesn’t feel genuine, but here it did. Plus, there’s an invisible fox with a cute hat. How could you go wrong?

Book Review: "Discipline" by Larissa Pham

“When I was a student, I had thought I could manipulate that gaze to a certain extent, that I had agency. That being desired gave me power. But what I learned then, and what I understood now, was that though one might thrust an oar into the river and think herself steering her own way, the current pushes on, uncaring.“

Christine has recently written her first novel and has embarked on a cross-country book tour. Her novel is a fictionalized account of a relationship she had with an art professor in graduate school. The end of the relationship affected her mental wellbeing so much that she dropped out of grad school and has never painted again.

As she travels from city to city, she reflects on the 10 years that have passed since leaving school. She reconnects with ex-boyfriends and former friends. She engages in conversations about what inspires her to create, and avoids questions about whether the novel is her story.

And then she starts getting emails from her former professor. At first he tells her that the book sharply differs from reality; in some cases, that is true. But as they communicate back and forth, the initial trepidations she had fade away. He invites her to go visit him at his home on a remote island in Maine.

The 10 years have aged the professor significantly. And while there are definitely moments where Christine’s anger resurfaces, they have some brief discussions about what happened between them, the consequences, etc. Can she forgive him and move on with her life?

This is Larissa Pham’s first novel and it is beautifully written and insightful. I wasn’t quite sure how the story would unfold and I was surprised by the powerful emotions I felt. This is definitely a character-driven novel so it may not be for everyone. I look forward to what’s next in Pham’s career!

Book Review: "Heart the Lover" by Lily King

This was an utterly gorgeous book, full of incredible dialogue, powerful emotions, and some truly memorable main characters. It may have been my first book by Lily King but it definitely won’t be my last!

It was her essay that caught their attention first. Our narrator wrote a parody for her English Literature class, and it caught the attention of two of her fellow students, Sam and Yash. They’re best friends and roommates, studious yet fun-loving, and they’re house sitting for a professor on sabbatical.

It’s not long before she falls into a tumultuous relationship with one, while maintaining an intense friendship with the other. But as often is the case in these situations, the lines blur between friendship and attraction, passion and jealousy, resulting in a love triangle that threatens to wreck everything.

“Love is crushing. Love is something you let yourself feel at your own peril, despite your better sense.” “But where would we be if we didn’t feel it? I think it’s the only form of hope we have. For our survival, I mean. What good is any other virtue without love?”

Years later, she is a successful author, and she gets a surprise visit from someone from her past. Old wounds are reopened; emotions pivot between regret and relief. And when they are brought together again, it’s time to say the things they’ve kept to themselves.

I love books about intense friendships that last through the years—even when the connections fray from time to time. This was such a beautiful book about how we make a life after we think we’ve been destroyed, and how love endures, even in a different form.

Book Review: "Seduction Theory" by Emily Adrian

“‘A virtue with which every writer should acquaint herself,’ Simone went on, ‘is humility.’ She did not smile. My mortification at her hands was ecstasy.”⁣

⁣ Simone and Ethan are the it couple of Edwards University’s creative writing department. Glamorous Simone is the star—the daughter of a famed figure in the literary world, her grief memoir was a huge success. She is a tenured professor; Ethan, less handsome and the author of a less successful novel, is a lecturer who only got the job because of his wife.⁣

⁣ The two have been together for years, having met in college. They have long conversations (both intellectual and not) and lots of great sex; their seemingly perfect marriage is the envy of many at Edwards. And then, for seemingly no reason, Ethan starts an affair with Abigail, the department’s administrative assistant. He’s wracked with guilt but can’t seem to stop until he has to confess before Simone finds out.⁣

⁣ Simone is definitely floored by her husband’s infidelity, but the truth is, she hasn’t been entirely innocent. While Ethan was away for the summer (when the affair began), Simone drew very close with Robbie, a graduate student and Simone’s advisee. The two women trained for a marathon, spent nearly every day and night together, and shared secrets, but their relationship, while never getting physical, gets emotionally intense, and Robbie, who is a lesbian, falls in love.⁣

But when Robbie feels rejected, she decides to write a fictionalized account of Ethan and Simone’s marriage—including all of the people involved—for her master’s thesis. How much is actual fiction and how much is truth? And how will Ethan and Simone react?⁣

⁣ This was an interesting story. I don’t know that I loved any of the characters but I found myself invested in the story. Because Robbie is the narrator, you see parts of the story through her eyes, so it’s shaped a bit by her bias. It was an interesting concept that was well-executed.

Book Review: "Royal Scoundrel" by Saxon James

Saxon James’ “Frat Wars” series was really enjoyable (and very hot), but in my opinion, it was too short. I definitely wanted more than three books!

Royal Scoundrel is a prequel which takes place about 20 years before the other books in the series. Dash is a scholarship student at a school where the rich legacies rule. And the Rho Kappa Tau fraternity is the worst of them.

“They’re all rich, all entitled, and ninety percent of them are white guys with generations of being told they’re God’s gift to the universe.”

It figures that the one guy Dash can’t get out of his mind is Archie—Archibald Levine III, to be exact. Archie always has women hanging all over him, so he’s way out of Dash’s league, right? Then why did he stop Dash from a random hookup during a Kappa party?

It turns out Archie is interested in Dash, but he’s totally closeted. Archie’s father expects him to marry a suitable woman and become a lawyer; he certainly wouldn’t accept a gay son. But as much as Dash can’t stop thinking about Archie, Archie feels the same about Dash. Maybe if they fool around a bit (in secret, of course), Archie can get Dash out of his system and go about pursuing what his father expects of him.

This was such a steamy book. Even though I knew where the plot would go, I couldn’t get enough of the chemistry between Archie and Dash, as they both tried to reconcile what they feel for each other with what is expected of them. What’s cool is that these characters are actually the fathers of a character in the third book, Frat Wars: Presidential Chaos.

Book Review: "I Think They Love You" by Julian Winters

Julian Winters is one of my auto-buy authors, so when I saw he had a new book coming out I was definitely excited. And as much as I’ve loved all of his YA books, learning this would be his first adult novel was even more exciting!

As the son of the CEO of 24 Carter Gold, Atlanta’s most prominent event planning company, Denz has always been expected to make a good impression. He’s tremendously conscious that someone is always watching him, which as an adult has translated into social media success for the company.

When his workaholic father announces his retirement and a search for the company’s new CEO, Denz decides to become a candidate. His family questions his seriousness and his commitment to things, so he tells them he has a boyfriend to prove them wrong.

Of course, now he has to find a boyfriend, or at least someone who’ll pretend to be one. The person to fill the role is the last person Denz is expecting: Braylon, his college boyfriend, who took a job in London after graduation and broke his heart. (Braylon needs Denz’s connections, so it’s not a one-sided fake relationship.)

As Denz jumps through hoops to try and prove his worthiness to be CEO, he and Braylon go all in on fake dating. Of course, there’s always some truth in every pretend relationship, but can either of them admit their true feelings before it’s too late?

I loved how much heart this book had. It’s not only a story about second chances; it’s also about family, friendship, ambition, fear, and trying to figure out what you want out of life. This is a sexy, romantic, emotional story, and proof that Julian Winters succeeds no matter what genre he’s in.

Book Review: "How to Sleep at Night" by Elizabeth Harris

At a time where the tiniest thought of politics is enough to make me cringe, I chose to read a book that had a political campaign at its core. And I really enjoyed it, so, yay me!

Ethan and Gabe have been together for years, since Gabe was a senior in college and Ethan was a few years older. They’re happily married, raising a young daughter named Chloe. Politically, Ethan has becoming more conservative, while Gabe has remained progressive all these years.

One night, Ethan tells Gabe he’d like to run for Congress—as a Republican. He believes that being gay, married, a former Democrat, makes him an even more appealing candidate. But he’ll only run if Gabe agrees, so of course, Gabe supports his husband’s ambitions.

Meanwhile, Ethan’s sister Kate—a political reporter for a newspaper—longs to regain the passion for, and fulfillment with, her job. But two things—her brother’s nascent political campaign and the return of Nicole, a woman she loved in college—threaten to upend her. And Nicole, bored with her suburban life and her passionless marriage, tempts Kate with a second chance at romance.

As Ethan’s campaign gains momentum, Gabe starts feeling more and more out of sync with his husband’s ideas. He hates the fact that everyone seems to assume he feels the same way as Ethan about the issues of the day. This cognitive dissonance causes more tension in their marriage and the campaign.

This was tremendously compelling from the very start. I’ll admit I didn’t find any of the characters all that sympathetic, but I was completely invested in their lives, and wondered just how Elizabeth Harris would tie everything up. What a great debut novel!!

Book Review: "Not in My Book" by Katie Holt

Rosie dreams of becoming a romance novelist, even though her own love life has been less than stellar. She leaves her Tennessee hometown to pursue her masters degree at NYU, and hopefully launch her career.

But in her writing workshops, she has to deal with Aiden, who is not a fan of romance. Or Rosie’s writing. It doesn’t help that he’s a tremendously talented writer of literary fiction—as well as insufferably handsome. In every class, he tears her writing to shreds, which infuriates her, and leads to them arguing in every class.

When their feuding becomes too much to bear, their professor steps in with an ultimatum: either they write a novel together which blends both of their styles or they have to leave the class. So they reluctantly start to work together, and of course, they bring elements of the things they dislike about each other into their characters.

All of their friends and classmates think they should just sleep together already, but they both use their writing to express their feelings for one another. Little by little their barriers come down and collaborating becomes less of a chore.

But when they both wind up competing for a prestigious fellowship, it ignites their rivalry once again. Can they finally be honest with each other and admit their feelings, or will their collaboration collapse for good?

This was definitely a fun read. I think it would have benefited from a dual narrative, to get Aiden’s perspective. But the banter between the two was definitely enjoyable.

Book Review: "Bunt! Striking Out on Financial Aid" by Ngozi Ukazu and Mad Rupert

A few years ago, I fell head over heels for Ngozi Ukazu’s graphic novel series, Check, Please!. Recently, when reading an article ranking the top queer fiction books, I came across a mention of Ukazu’s latest graphic novel, and I had to jump on it at once.

Molly has wanted to go to art school at PICA, which is in her hometown, for as long as she can remember. But on the first day, she discovers that her full-ride scholarship no longer exists. Desperately wanting to go to school while keeping this from her mothers, Molly takes loans to stay afloat while looking for a solution.

In looking through PICA’s often-overlooked financial aid manual, Molly discovers a loophole. If she can recruit 9 of her fellow art students to play in a softball league, and if they win 1 game, everyone on the team will get major athletic scholarships.

Of course, at an art school, finding people willing to step outside their comfort zone and play an organized team sport is a bit of a challenge. But with the help of her best friend Ryan (himself a PICA dropout), who promises to coach the team, she begs, bribes, and cajoles students into joining the team. Some of the students are actually athletically inclined, while some are definitely not.

The team starts off horribly, even though there is definite promise. There are one or two ringers, plus a fashion student who can hit but refuses to run because it isn’t ladylike. But all they need is to win one game, and they find out that depending on one another and being part of a team feels good, too.

This was such a fun read, full of drama, joy, found family, and queer students finding their confidence. Mad Rupert’s illustrations are fantastic, and once again, Ukazu’s storytelling hit me in the feels.

Book Review: "The Lake of Lost Girls" by Katherine Greene

“It’s hard to escape the memory of someone who has become perfect through the very act of remembering them.”

In 1998, Jessica was a freshman at Southern State University in North Carolina. Like many new college students, she was struggling academically and emotionally, and partying a little too much.

The university was rocked by the disappearance of three female students. One evening, when Jessica was home (she lived in the same town as the university) for her younger sister’s 6th birthday, she went out to get the cake from her car, and disappeared. No trace was ever found.

Now, 24 years later, a new true crime podcast starts looking into Jessica’s disappearance as well as those of the three other students. Her sister Lindsey, whose life was forever changed the night her sister went missing, is hoping the new attention to the mystery might finally lead to answers.

When bodies are found at a local lake, Lindsey hopes they may find Jessica’s remains. But the discoveries highlight the ineptitude of the initial investigation, as well as some secrets that might have been better left submerged.

The book is told in dual timelines: by Lindsey in the present day and Jessica in 1998. The pacing was a bit slower than I would’ve liked, although there were some good twists. But I think it’s time to put the true crime podcast story angle to bed for a while. I’ve read at least four mystery/thrillers this year with this gimmick, and IMHO, that’s three too many.

Book Review: "Society of Lies" by Lauren Ling Brown

“How often, in the world, is silence what allows horrible people to get away with their crimes?”

Maya arrives at Princeton for her 10-year reunion, with her husband and young daughter in tow. She’s nervous and excited, but in addition to the reunion, her younger sister Naomi will be graduating as well. But not long after arriving, Maya learns that tragedy has struck: Naomi has been found dead.

While the police believe that Naomi’s death was an accident, Maya is immediately suspicious. And the more she talks to Naomi’s friends, the more questions arise about what could have happened to her. It’s not long before Maya realizes that her sister kept a lot of secrets from her.

Naomi looked up to her sister and wanted to follow in her footsteps. But that wasn’t necessarily a good thing. Maya discovers that, like her, Naomi became a member of one of Princeton’s most exclusive eating clubs, as well as the secret society within the club, which could open doors to an incredible future of possibilities.

However, Naomi was also digging into some mysteries around the club and the powerful people involved, not to mention the death of a student 10 years ago. She discovered that her sister was somehow involved in that incident, but she’s determined to uncover the truth.

I’m a fan of dark academia stories. I enjoyed the discussion about privilege and prejudice, not to mention how racial and cultural differences strike at the heart of a purposely diverse group. For me, the book moved sooo slowly. While it’s told in multiple narratives, the voices are nearly identical so I had to keep reorienting myself to whose story each chapter was.

Book Review: "Given Our History" by Kristyn J. Miller

Clara has wanted to teach history for as long as she can remember. She’s finally achieved her goal, teaching at a private college in Maryland, and her department chair wants to submit her name for tenure.

When her boss asks if she’d be willing to share her office with a visiting scholar, she agrees without considering the consequences. And then she learns that the visitor is Theodore Harrison—Teddy—with whom she fell in love when they were teenagers. She’s not seen him apart from a very brief run-in since she broke his heart 10 years ago.

Teddy tries to stay out of Clara’s way, but both feel the pull of attraction and their mutual history. As they work together on a project and reminisce about their days attending a camp for homeschooled children, and think about the relationship that grew out of periodic phone calls and sharing CDs and history books, they can’t help but wonder whether they’re being given a second chance.

However, knowing how things turned out the first time has them both guarding their hearts this time. They’ve both gotten older, and Clara wonders if their past history will keep Teddy from fully trusting her, not to mention the fact that he’s only here for a semester.

The narrative shifts back and forth, between the present and the start of their relationship at camp, to when it fell apart. Along the way we get a glimpse of the challenges that each faced with their families, which also had an impact.

I enjoyed these characters as well as some of the supporting ones. I think the story would have benefited from getting Teddy’s perspective instead of seeing everything just through Clara’s eyes. And of course, far too much of their issues stemmed from miscommunication, which is my least favorite trope. But it was a fun and charming story.

Book Review: "Remember Me Tomorrow" by Farah Heron

Give me a time loop and some romance, and I’m happy. This book gave me both plus a little mystery, so needless to say, I absolutely loved it.

Aleeza has finally had enough. She’s tired of her best friend and roommate throwing her over for guys or people she thinks are “cooler” or more popular. So a month into the second semester, she’s able to find the last vacant dorm room on campus. It may be small, it may be a single, but it’ll be hers.

She’s surprised to find a dresser full of men’s clothes in her room, since it’s supposed to be empty. But right away people in her new dorm start treating her strangely, and she quickly discovers that she’s been assigned to a room where another student, Jay Hoque, lived before he disappeared several months before.

No one is sure what happened to Jay, but most of the gossip says he slept around with a lot of women and didn’t treat them well, and there are also rumors that he was part of a big cheating scandal. As an aspiring investigative journalist, Aleeza can’t help but be drawn to figuring out what happened to him.

Imagine her surprise when she starts getting text messages through the dorm system—and they’re from Jay. Strangely, he says that he is in his room. It turns out that somehow Jay is messaging her from a few months in the past. As they build a relationship of sorts, can Aleeza figure out what happened to him so he can prevent it from happening in the past?

I thought this was a really good story. The interplay between Aleeza and Jay was really sweet. While the mystery part got a little confusing with lots of characters thrown in, I was definitely hooked and needed to know how the story would resolve itself.