I enjoyed reading this book. The story is really interesting and touching my heart too. The book is also illustrated nicely. I like the wonderful design of the characters in the book and the abundant details and colors.

This is a lovely book! I was lucky to receive a digital ARC of this graphic novel from NetGalley to review. After loving The Magic Fish, I was eager to read Trung Le Nguyen’s latest, which is set to release in October 2025. The full color illustrations are dreamy, gorgeous feasts for the eyes. After overextending herself, Angelica turns to a place that has captivated her and brought her comfort: the local theater and its upcoming production featuring Per the Bear Prince. This story has a little of everything: family drama and grief, a second chance romance, friendship, and more. While this sophomore book doesn’t feel as deep or impactful as its predecessor, it still gets top marks for me. Young audiences will love it and older readers will appreciate it.

4.5??

A fiery flight attendant clashes with the NHL’s resident “bad boy” hockey player on their team’s private plane, sparking an undeniable attraction despite their professional boundaries and personal baggage. As a Chicago native, born and raised in the suburbs and having spent a decade living in the city post-college, it will always be my home and one of my favorite places. Chicago is synonymous with sports. So many of my cherished memories are tied to its teams: celebrating three Blackhawks Stanley Cup wins, witnessing Michael Jordan and the Bulls dominate with six championships, and both the White Sox and Cubs clinching World Series titles. I’ve also lost count of the games I’ve attended with friends and family over the years. Given this deep connection, I was so excited to dive into this Chicago sports romance book series. I went into Mile High with high hopes, especially since I’m heading back to Chicago next week (wrote this before) and was eager for some nostalgic vibes. Unfortunately, it simply fell flat. The characters felt largely one-dimensional. Stevie, the FMC, frequently mentioned her weight and body insecurities, but little else truly defined her. Zander, the MMC, came across as primarily interested in material possessions and money, bringing them up entirely too often. With such limited character depth, their instalove connection just didn’t feel genuine, leaving me largely uninvested in their love story, which spanned a lengthy 17 hours on audiobook. It could have been done in 8! The Windy City series includes 5 interconnected standalone books. I’d recommend experiencing Mile High as a physical read. My personal experience with the audiobook fell flat due to the narration, which, unfortunately, lacked the enthusiasm and personality I usually enjoy, especially right after finishing a book with a highly animated narrator. Even for a duet narration, it just didn’t engage me. Despite my lukewarm experience with this one, many readers whose book tastes align with mine absolutely rave about this series. Because of that, I’m definitely giving the next book a chance before I decide whether to dive into the rest of the series or not. Rating: ??????

Although this book is considered a “middle reader” book, it is a delightful story of a fourth grade girl and her friends response to book banning in the elementary school library. The audiobook narrator was very good. Is the response engineered by Amy Ann, et al something fourth graders could pull off? Maybe. The banned books include Harriet the Spy, Matilda, Is That You, God? It’s Me, Margaret and other classics. This book has been banned in Florida? Is there any other reason necessary to read this book?

L

I like what this book is about.

Graphic autobiography about Bechdel’s relationship with her mother. Bechdel considers writing a memoir about her father but delves into her mother’s story first. Filled with references to psychology and therapy books she read during that time, as well as her own time in therapy.

3.5 stars. I loved the setting! So charming and Solomon fully immerses the reader in the culture. In this second chance romance Dani collides with her former love Wouter (pronounced vow-ter) and they embark on a fake marriage. Despite years of no contact (he was previously an exchange student), sparks seemed to fly and they moved right in together as if no time had passed or as if they kept on knowing each other without interval lives. I liked Wouter but Dani seemed a bit all over the place. This was enjoyable but I felt the chemistry/romance was a bit lacking. I listened via audio on Libby.

An amazing book, full of risks and the enemy, who is supposedly always ahead. Ogres, Elves, Trolls, and more, with the human world included, this is a great book that you should totally read! It is also a thicker book, with about 730 pages.