To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
Series: To All the Boys I've Loved Before #1
Published by Simon & Schuster BFYR on April 15, 2014
Genres: Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 355
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased
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What if all the crushes you ever had found out how you felt about them… all at once?

Sixteen-year-old Lara Jean Song keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. They aren’t love letters that anyone else wrote for her; these are ones she’s written. One for every boy she’s ever loved—five in all. When she writes, she pours out her heart and soul and says all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly, Lara Jean’s love life goes from imaginary to out of control.

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is one of those books that I missed the boat on and then suddenly everyone was freaking out about it and mega-hype-train. At that point, I was really too scared to pick it up, even though I’d bought a copy. Sure, everyone I trust liked it and recommended it, buuuuuuut with all that pressure I was worried we wouldn’t work out. It was weird reading a book I’d actually been somewhat spoiled on, since I usually don’t know much of anything going into books these days. Thankfully, the pressure didn’t really impact my read, and I absolutely fell under Lara Jean’s spell.

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Pocket Apocalypse by Seanan McGuire
Series: InCryptid #4
Published by DAW on March 3, 2015
Genres: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal
Pages: 352
Format: Paperback
Source: Library
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Endangered, adjective: Threatened with extinction or immediate harm.
Australia, noun: A good place to become endangered.

Alexander Price has survived gorgons, basilisks, and his own family—no small feat, considering that his family includes two telepaths, a reanimated corpse, and a colony of talking, pantheistic mice. Still, he’s starting to feel like he’s got the hang of things…at least until his girlfriend, Shelby Tanner, shows up asking pointed questions about werewolves and the state of his passport. From there, it’s just a hop, skip, and a jump to Australia, a continent filled with new challenges, new dangers, and yes, rival cryptozoologists who don’t like their “visiting expert” very much.

Australia is a cryptozoologist’s dream, filled with unique species and unique challenges. Unfortunately, it’s also filled with Shelby’s family, who aren’t delighted by the length of her stay in America. And then there are the werewolves to consider: infected killing machines who would like nothing more than to claim the continent as their own. The continent which currently includes Alex.

Survival is hard enough when you’re on familiar ground. Alex Price is very far from home, but there’s one thing he knows for sure: he’s not going down without a fight.

Despite being set in Australia like I hoped, Pocket Apocalypse is my least favorite InCryptid book so far. It’s not bad, but Alex was already isolated from his family, and he only gets more isolated when he goes to Australia.

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I received this book for free from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Four Weddings and a Sixpence: An Anthology by Julia Quinn, Stefanie Sloane, Elizabeth Boyle, Laura Lee Guhrke
Published by Avon on December 27, 2016
Genres: Historical, Romance, Anthologies, Short Stories
Pages: 416
Format: eARC
Source: Edelweiss
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Beloved authors Julia Quinn, Elizabeth Boyle, Laura Lee Guhrke, and Stefanie Sloane deliver the stories of four friends from Madame Rochambeaux’s Gentle School for Girls who find an old sixpence in their bedchamber and decide that it will be the lucky coin for each of their weddings…

“Something Old”
Julia Quinn’s prologue introduces her heroine Beatrice Heywood and the premise for Four Weddings and a Sixpence.

“Something New”
In Stefanie Sloane’s unforgettable story, an ever-vigilant guardian decrees that Anne Brabourne must marry by her twenty-first birthday. But love finds her in the most unexpected of ways.

“Something Borrowed”
Elizabeth Boyle tells the tale of Cordelia Padley, who has invented a betrothed to keep her family from pestering her to wed. Now she’ll need to borrow one to convince them she’s found her true love.

“Something Blue”
In Laura Lee Guhrke’s story, unlucky Lady Elinor Daventry has her sixpence stolen from her and must convince the rake who pilfered the coin to return it in time for her own wedding.

“... and a Sixpence in Her Shoe”
Julia Quinn finishes with the story of Beatrice Heywood, who never believed that the sixpence was anything but a tarnished old coin—until it led all of her friends to true love. But her faith in the coin is tested when it keeps sending her to the wrong man!

While I’m generally not an anthology/novella person, I’m making an exception for romance anthologies, because that seems like an efficient way to discover new romance authors whose style I like. Plus, it’s a mission of mine to read everything Julia Quinn writes. Even though it’s not all Quinn, Four Weddings and a Sixpence didn’t let me down in the slightest.

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You're Invited by Jen Malone, Gail Nall
Series: RSVP #1
Published by Aladdin on May 19, 2015
Genres: Contemporary
Pages: 336
Format: Hardcover
Source: Library
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Four best friends start a party-planning business in this fresh, funny tween novel from the authors of At Your Service and Breaking the Ice.
Twelve-year-old Sadie loves helping her mom with her wedding planning business, and with Sadie’s mad organizational skills, she’s a natural! That’s why it’s so devastating when her mother “fires” her after a Little Mermaid–themed wedding goes awry.

Enter Sadie’s best friends: sporty Vi, ace student Lauren, and boy-crazy Becca. The girls decide that in order to get Sadie’s mom to reconsider, they have to make her see how amazing Sadie is at party planning. Except no one’s gonna hire a twelve-year-old to plan a wedding. A birthday party, though? Definite possibility.

Before long, RSVP—your one-stop shop for the most creative parties in town—is born. Of course, Sadie can’t wait to prove herself to her mom, but the other girls also have their reasons for enlisting: Vi has her eye on the perfect gift for her hardworking dad, and Becca’s all aflush at the thought of connecting with Ryan, the new Irish cutie in town. And though Lauren thinks she’s too busy with summer studies to “officially” join, she’s willing to help out in any way she can.

But in this particular party-planning business, nothing goes according to plan! Sadie’s mom is a perpetual no-show, Vi’s archrival is dead set on ruining her summer, Becca can’t seem to get Ryan to glance in her direction, and Lauren keeps choosing studying over her friends. Is the girls’ friendship strong enough to survive a business? Or does RSVP spell the end of these BFFs?

Continuing my Jen Malone author binge, I’m making my way through her middle grade novels. Since At Your Service went well, I embarked on You’re Invited with hope. You’re Unvited is super cute, and it’s reminiscent of a modern Now & Then, so I’m pretty sure I would have loved the crap out of it if I’d read it when I was wee.

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In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan
Published by Big Mouth House on August 15, 2017
Genres: Fantasy, Romance
Pages: 437
Format: Hardcover
Source: Gifted
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Sometimes it’s not the kid you expect who falls through to magicland, sometimes it’s . . . Elliot. He’s grumpy, nerdy, and appalled by both the dearth of technology and the levels of fitness involved in swinging swords around. He’s a little enchanted by the elves and mermaids. Despite his aversion to war, work, and most people (human or otherwise) he finds that two unlikely ideas, friendship and world peace, may actually be possible.

Meg sent me In Other Lands for my birthday/to get me to read it ASAP. I’ve been really working on being able to fit more books semi-spontaneously into my ludicrously over-scheduled schedule and for once I actually dived right in to a recommendation. You guys, I can’t remember the last time I fell so hard for a book. In Other Lands immediately became my favorite book of the year so far and ascended to the all-time favorites list.

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