Reviewer: @booksnbakes_za (Instagram)
✨Readers Review✨
“𝕀𝕗 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕘𝕚𝕧𝕖 𝕞𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕤𝕡𝕒𝕔𝕖 𝕥𝕠 𝕘𝕣𝕠𝕨, 𝕀’𝕝𝕝 𝕡𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕥 𝕞𝕪𝕤𝕖𝕝𝕗 𝕟𝕖𝕩𝕥 𝕥𝕠 𝕪𝕠𝕦. 𝔸𝕝𝕨𝕒𝕪𝕤.”
When I first saw that Hannah Bonam-Young was going to release a second novel based on my two favourite side-characters from Out on a Limb I couldn’t contain my excitement!
In Out on a Limb, Caleb & Sarah look so strong and stable – like nothing could shake the foundation they have built together (since they were fourteen!).
But, inevitably, life throws us curve balls and we see a large rift start to grow between them, when Caleb is just being Caleb and saves the day again, even though Sarah is happy to have failed with something she was doing for her, for her mom. Not only is this just about their relationship, but Sarah herself – who is she without Caleb, is she her own person and what can she achieve? I think one time or another, we all have these moments of self-reflection and doubt, but through trial & error we eventually find the answers.
I loved this book so much, it shows the beginnings of their relationship as teenagers and how they relied on each other to get through the bad times. Yet, even if we grow up together, we may not always be growing together – and sometimes, we need to find our way back to each other. As well as the inevitable questions we all start asking once we’re thirty, about family, life goals and where are we going?
Cue a week of getting lost in nature with strangers, learning to listen to each other, but also giving each other the space to grow.
This was a beautiful story in so many ways, especially as they choose a path that is not the most traditional for couples, yet we see at the end they are happy and were able to reach their individual dreams together. I laughed, I cried, and I swooned (because, Caleb).
Thank you to JBP for gifting me with this review copy – HBY will forever and always be one of my go-to authors, and as always, a five-star read.
Reviewer: @reading_caffeinated (Instagram)
The West Wind, the latest standalone in Alexandria Warwick’s Four Winds series, is a stunning, slow-burn romantasy that explores the tension between devotion and desire, belief and betrayal. Drawing inspiration from the Greek myth of Hero and Leander and the Scottish ballad Tam Lin, Warwick delivers a haunting tale of love and peril, beautifully written and brimming with mythic power.
The story centers on Brielle of Thornbrook, a young woman raised in an abbey, whose life has been shaped by obedience and faith. A skilled blacksmith and devout acolyte, she’s lived 21 years without ever touching a man—and expects that vow to last a lifetime. Until one act of compassion changes everything.
When she rescues a wounded stranger in the forest, Brielle is drawn into the realm of Under, a dangerous fae land where rot clings to the air and whispers twist the wind. There she learns that the man she saved is Zephyrus, the West Wind and Bringer of Spring—a powerful fae lord with his own secrets and dangerous charm.
What follows is a journey through eerie caves, shimmering riverbanks, and twisted loyalties. Brielle must confront not just Zephyrus’s intentions, but her own faltering beliefs. The slow burn between them builds with exquisite tension, all while the stakes climb higher.
Warwick’s prose is lush and immersive, transporting readers with every word. Her worldbuilding is evocative, and her characters feel fully realized—especially Brielle, whose arc from faith-bound servant to self-aware woman is deeply satisfying.
Zephyrus is the perfect morally gray counterpart: alluring, secretive, and never fully safe. Their dynamic is tense and emotionally fraught, making the romance hit that much harder.
For fans of Sarah J. Maas, Scarlett St. Clair, Raven Kennedy, and Jennifer L. Armentrout, The West Wind offers a cleaner—but no less intense—alternative. It’s a book about the danger of wanting more, the beauty of choosing for yourself, and the cost of stepping beyond your fate.
Atmospheric, romantic, and full of mythic tension, The West Wind is a beautifully crafted romantasy that lingers long after the last page.
Reviewer: @adeela_books (Instagram)
4.5 stars ⭐️
🌷TROPES:
• fake dating
• sports romance 🏒🩰
• college setting
• interracial romance
• found family
• accidental roommates/forced proximity
• dual pov
• spice & slowburn
“𝑰’𝒎 𝒂 𝒈𝒐𝒅𝒅𝒂𝒎𝒏 𝒎𝒆𝒔𝒔.”
– “𝒀𝒐𝒖’𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒎𝒆𝒔𝒔.”
𝑺𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒔𝒏𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒔. “𝑾𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒄?”
– “𝑰𝒕’𝒔 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰’𝒎 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔—𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖—𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒂𝒇𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒎𝒆.”
✨️
Elias ‘Eli’ Westbrook. That’s it. That’s all that needs to be said.
Eli, the man that you are! He left me speechless, swooning and tearing up! Yes, you heard me, tearing up! This man got me in my feels ya’ll. I’m claiming him as a new fictional boyfriend and it will be a crime if he is slept on. The man is literally perfect in every single way and Sage is so lucky to have him.
The author legit created the most remarkably outstanding man by gifting us Eli. She knows what she’s doing 👏🏻 Khabra wrote these characters so well and her prose is easy to fall into. The tropes were executed exceptionally and the romance + tension will have you hooked.
The chemistry she created between the MCs were off the charts and I stayed up till 3am going “one more chapter” coz I couldn’t stop wanting to read more about Eli and Sage.
Specifically,Eli 🤭 I was sat and rooting for these 2 to end up together. They had such a wholesome relationship!
“𝑳𝒆𝒕’𝒔 𝒈𝒐 𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒆,” 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒚 𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒌. 𝑰 𝒏𝒐𝒅, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰’𝒎 𝒂𝒍𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆.
The side characters made the book shine even brighter with their banter/humor. This was my first read from the author & I can’t wait to get into the rest as well.
However, I felt it rushed a wee bit towards the end & I seldom found the fmc,Sage slightly so so at times but it wasn’t anything significant.
Overall, it was an amazing read and I highly recommend it!
Reviewer: @tanith_justanotherchapter (Instagram)
This might be my favorite romance book, but we’re my favorite love story.”
Hannah Grace, Daydream
━ ⋅☆⋅ ━━ ∙∘☽ ✶ ☾∘∙ ━━ ⋅☆⋅ ━
Q: What was the last character you related to and why?
━ ⋅☆⋅ ━━ ∙∘☽ ✶ ☾∘∙ ━━ ⋅☆⋅ ━
What to expect:
– Sports Romance (Hockey)
– Dual POV
– Fake Dating
– Friends to Lovers
– ADHD Rep
– POC MMC x Plus Sized FMC
– Mental Health Rep
I’ve struggled writing this review. I saw so much of myself in both Halle and Henry. It offered some deep self reflection, however, it also made me feel seen and feel not so alone. Hannah Grace manages to deliver a really cute, feel good romcom that touches on more serious topics. We’ve seen this in Icebreaker and WIldfire and she continues to do so with Daydream. I appreciate when an author can navigate these types of topics well and my emotions were so real while reading Daydream.
Daydream follows Halle and Henry. Halle is the eldest daughter, a high achiever, a people pleaser and an aspiring writer. Henry is the hockey captain (something he didn’t ask for), has ADHD (undiagnosed) and is an artist. Halle is having trouble writing her story for a competition she wants to enter – she lacks the life experience needed to truly do her characters justice! While Henry, the procrastinator that he is, is falling behind in a class he needs to pass. Can they help each other out? You already know lines are going to be blurred…..
What I truly loved was the found family and friendships within this book; for both Halle and Henry. I loved how everyone stepped up for Halle when she needed it; for someone who is so used to being everything for everyone all of the time it showed her growth as a character to let go and allow them to help. I was pleased that she was able to experience this.
Henry’s mental health struggles, his overstimulation, his withdrawal is something I related to on a deeper level. Hannah found a way to capture this so deeply in this book. She wrote from Henry’s POV and how he experiences it but she also wrote from Halle’s perspective and how she experienced Henry’s withdrawal and how it impacted her and those around them.
Overall, Daydream isn’t just a fluffy romance. It’s a love letter to the eldest daughters and those with mental health issues others may have difficulty understanding.
“…when I daydream, I think of us.”
Reviewer: @shelves_by_sim (Instagram)
🤍💙 Review 💙🤍
Book: The Glass Girl
Author: Kathleen Glasgow
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Every doubt, every insecurity, every anxiety, every little thought that went through your head as a fifteen year old was perfectly summed up in this book. I think mental health and dealing with social issues like drinking and drugs is such a huge thing for a teenager, it literally feels like world is against you, it is such a struggle just to get through the day and Kathleen perfectly conveyed all these feelings in this magnificently deep book. I love the how easy it is to fall into a YA story, the world is always easy because it gives you the same real-world feeling everyday-life gives you.
I really liked Bella, she’s definitely a character who is struggling and you can feel that struggle, that inner war raging inside of her. It is emotional and makes it a heavy read if you can relate to that sort of state of mind. I felt sorry for her, for the loss of her grandma, for the way she had to always step up and be the parent, for the way she felt like she always had to please people. I think this kind of life, on top of the mental issues she deals with, always manifests into something very serious, like cutting or drug abuse, and in Bella’s case, alcoholism.
I enjoyed her journey to recovery. I was amazed by how she went from straight-up anger and denial, to realization and acceptance. And once that happened, how much work she put in to staying sober. The side-characters were diverse, you meet good and bad people in life – especially in a situation like this – and I am so proud of Bella for the way she navigated them and every other obstacle thrown her way. This was a sad read, but a hopeful one and I really enjoyed it!
Thank you, @jonathanballpublishers, for sending me this review copy 🍷
QOTD: When you were growing up, was it hard for you? Did you struggle as a teenager?
