Susan’s Book Blog

  Unexpecting by Jen Bailey YA, LGBTQ    Romance Wednesday Books Scheduled release: 8/22/23 🍂  5 stars out of 5  🍂 “ Sometimes doing the necessary thing, even when you’d rather do anything else, is the right thing to do. ” You know those books that just get better and better as you go along? This is one of those books. The premise was enough to hook me, the plot hit the ground running on page one, the characters completely had me wrapped around their fingers, and the emotional stakes just increased with every page turn. By the 70-80% mark, I was in tears. I really loved this one.  Ben is the sweetest kid. He’s 16 and an excellent student, super smart, responsible, a hard worker, but now he’s struggling to make sense of his life now that he’s found out he got his friend pregnant. He’s also gay. So there’s a bit of angst and drama but Ben ends up learning a lot of important lessons with the help of his amazing support system of family and friends....

  Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo  // 5 💀 out of 5 // I picked this book up just to read the first couple pages, with no intention of continuing because I had an ARC to read next but this had me before the first chapter was even over. There was no putting it down and coming back to it later. I HAD to keep going, ARC be damned.  I am Janice from Friends right now: OH  👐🏼  MY  👐🏼  GAWD  👐🏼      I feel like there is no way anything I say can do justice to what’s in this book. I’m not even sure I have all that many coherent thoughts, just a series of feelings that I’m struggling to articulate.  I was so impressed with how immersive this book felt. It’s hugely experiential.    Mandelo’s descriptions make heavy use of sensory information, with lines like “the cold sank straight through the gagging constriction of his throat to the cavern of his chest, grasping at him from the inside out” and “Andrew… [stood] in the wash o...

Daniel Cabot Puts Down Roots  by Cat Sebastian  Pub date: November 15,  2022  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 stars out of 5 I’ve been looking forward to reading more Cabot stories since I finished the first two over a year ago, and it did not disappoint.  Daniel Cabot is a character study and a story about the gradual building of a relationship, filled with quiet moments that are both realistic and compelling. It always blows me away how Cat Sebastian can fit SO MUCH character development into so few pages. And you can always count on her to write incredibly unique, richly drawn people who you can’t help but fall in love with. There is a foundation of kindness in this story, as there has been in the previous two Cabot novellas (or, really, ALL her books I suppose) that I find so beautiful and hopeful. Daniel and Alex take care of one another and others - friends and strangers both - in so many little ways and without wanting anything in return. It’s a refreshingly uncynical displ...

The Scottish Boy   by Alex de Campi  published by Unbound in May 2020 🏰 5 stars out of 5 🏰  The story starts in 1333 and I wasn’t sure what to expect from a novel that takes place that long ago. But the style is simple and straightforward. (I’ve read medieval-era stories by other authors who tried to mimic antiquated language and it was extremely distracting.) I found the story compelling from the very beginning. The MC Harry is a pretty likable guy from the start. He is 19 and fresh off missing the battle of Halidon Hill due to the death of his mother. He has been itching to go to war to prove himself and avenge his father’s death at the battle of Bannockburn. Harry learns very quickly what war is really like when he’s taken on a raid and watches his fellow knights strike down unarmed citizens, struggling to understand the pointless brutality and cruelty. Being a knight isn’t at all what he thought it would be. Where’s the chivalry? The justice? He dislikes the way the...

Heat Wave by TJ Klune Released July 19, 2022 TorTeen 🔥 5 stars out of 5 🔥  Heat Wave is the third and final book in the series and I don’t think I have a single complaint about it. It was perfect. It was exciting, dramatic, tense, sweet, tender, romantic, riveting, and completely hilarious.  It was so good to see Nick and Seth again. Nick is every bit as funny and adorable and in love with Seth as he’s always been. I loved seeing more of Nick & Seth’s relationship in this. They’ve definitely grown a bit as people and their relationship has as well. They are so sweet and deserve all the best things in the world. Two cinnamon rolls who have been by each other’s side for so long that, even though they’re teenagers, you still have a good feeling about them being together for the long haul.  The plot was excellent. I liked where it went and how it developed. There was confusion and intrigue and mystery and I loved every minute of trying to guess what was going on. I thou...

 It's pub day for one of the best books you will read ALL YEAR.  A Lady for a Duke   by Alexis Hall 💙 5 stars out of 5 💛 Viola is a trans woman who has given up her old life simply so she can live as her true self. She is extremely hesitant to revisit old places and faces for fear of rejection. She believes she is consigned to a life without love and friendship. However, we see such radical empathy, compassion, and acceptance among the characters. It’s truly beautiful. The message “love is love” echoes loudly throughout these pages. So much of this book is profoundly beautiful. The writing is exquisite, and the topics are given the weight and sensitivity they deserve. And frankly, it’s a damn good story. There is yearning and angst and drama and more yearning. So much yearning. 😂 And there is a declaration of love in this book that rivals Darcy’s for Elizabeth Bennett. It is SO beautiful. Available for purchase or borrowing today!  Read my review in its entirety h...

Every Word You Never Said by Jordon Greene Release Date: April 26, 2022 Genres: Young Adult, LGBT/Gay, Romance // 3.75 stars out of 5 // HEARTSTOPPER meets FOOTLOOSE in this cute young adult romance about first love, embracing what makes you different, and standing up for what you believe. — — — — Skylar Gray is adopted, nonverbal, and he feels most comfortable wearing skirts. Life has never been easy, but with a fresh start at a brand-new school, with new parents and in a new state, he just might finally make some friends.  But it′s hard for Skylar to trust anyone when people have always been quick to ditch him at the first inconvenience; they always seem more than ready to judge him as defective. And the bullies love to confirm it. Skylar has only ever had himself, so why would anything be different this time?  Jacob doesn′t give a damn, especially not since he came out over the summer. He expected the hate he got from his father, who mostly acts as if it never happened, but...

One of my favorite books is Glitterland by Alexis Hall. About a struggling bipolar depressive writer who finds love in the last place - and person - he’d expect. It’s so beautifully written and conveys the most beautiful messages. I highly recommend reading it. Below are a few quotes I highlighted on my kindle and wanted to share. When I highlight quotes in a book, they tend to fall into one of a few categories: lines that made me laugh, lines that I thought were profound or particularly well-written, or lines that I could strongly relate to. The quotes below fall into these categories. I’ll let you decide which ones they might be. Have you read Glitterland? If so, share your favorite lines in the comments below!

Now that the book is one day away from being released, it’s time to unveil my pop-ified versions of four of its characters. Let me know what you think! Below are the mock-ups I made depicting how I wanted them to look and the excerpts from the book that I based them on. I think they actually turned out quite similar to my plans. I'm very happy with them. I think Arek could be improved upon a bit but honestly I found a very good deal on one particular pop that I was considering using for his body so I couldn't pass it up. It had his brown boots and his big sword, after all. ;) Occasionally I get questions about how I made them or which pops I used so here are the mock-ups again with each individual Funko Pop that I used to construct each character. (I'll be posting a step-by-step photo tutorial on how I make them soon, for those interested.)     So what do you think? Yay? Nay? For me, these are especially fun to do because you can create your own vision of the characters. Th...

We all have our favorite books and series and characters, and one of mine is the Simon Snow series by Rainbow Rowell. It’s a trilogy she just finished up last year and it’s been remarkably popular since the very first book. It’s funny and touching and magical. I’ve gathered my entire Carry On collection for a family portrait for an IG hashtag challenge and thought I’d share the pics here as well. Rowell’s publisher has done something very clever with these books and that is to publish (and REpublish) them with different covers, in special exclusive limited editions, and with new added bonus content. So OF COURSE WE KEEP BUYING THEM. Or at least I do. (We’re not made of money out here, Rainbow.)  I’ve been very lucky that I’ve been able to preorder or find for resale the Waterstones versions with the beautiful floral sprayed edges that mimic Baz’s suit he wore on the cover of Wayward Son. Those are hands down my absolute favorites. They are my BAYBEEZ.  I’ve even been able to l...

  So This Is Ever After by F.T. Lukens Release Date: March 29, 2022 🗡🗡🗡🗡✨ 4.5 magical swords out of 5 So this is an idiots to lovers/soulmates story about a couple of oblivious dumbasses who take forever to realize how the other one feels.    Arek is the Chosen One; 17 years old and prophesied to overthrow the “Vile One”. Matt is Arek’s best friend, his mage, and his secret crush. The story begins at the fulfillment of the prophecy and shows us what comes after “The End.” This is a single POV, hilariously narrated in the first person by Arek. This was charming and sweet and just really fun. I think the best point of reference for understanding the tone of this book is Season 2 of Miracle Workers (Dark Ages), the TBS show with Daniel Radcliffe. That has the exact same ‘Modern-style Characters in an Old-style World’ feel and the same deadpan parodic comedy style. That they felt so contemporary despite living in a world that could have existed a thousand years ago made t...

You guys! A 5 chapter preview of Alexis Hall's Husband Material is AVAILABLE NOW on NetGalley!  Husband Material is his follow-up to his wonderful novel Boyfriend Material and is due to be published in August.  This was perfection. Absolute perfection. I didn’t think I could be more excited for this book than I already was. Alexis Hall has seamlessly fallen back into the BM universe and hit the ground running. This preview was such a treat. Reading it was like throwing a favorite blanket around myself and enjoying that cozy familiar warmth. All the characters we loved from BM are here again in perfect form and I cannot wait for August!! If you loved BM (and of course you did, why wouldn't you) go now to read the preview that's available on NG. (Don't forget to leave a review after!)  Click here to Read Now!

5 🎩🎩🎩🎩🎩 out of 5 Valentine Layton, the Duke of Malvern, has twin problems: literally. It was always his father’s hope that Valentine would marry Miss Arabella Tarleton. But, unfortunately, too many novels at an impressionable age have caused her to grow up…romantic. So romantic that a marriage of convenience will not do and after Valentine’s proposal she flees into the night determined never to set eyes on him again. Arabella’s twin brother, Mr. Bonaventure “Bonny” Tarleton, has also grown up…romantic. And fully expects Valentine to ride out after Arabella and prove to her that he’s not the cold-hearted cad he seems to be. Despite copious misgivings, Valentine finds himself on a pell-mell chase to Dover with Bonny by his side. Bonny is unreasonable, overdramatic, annoying, and…beautiful? And being with him makes Valentine question everything he thought he knew. About himself. About love. Even about which Tarleton he should be pursuing. ☙ ☙ ☙ ☙ ☙ This book is a god damned masterpie...