I am so, so terrible at DNF-ing books, but I managed to do it with two of them this month! I had a kindle book that I started for the sake of getting a digital book read, but I just could not get myself to read it (it wasn't the content though, it was the concept of reading digitally that didn't interest me, so I'll probably pick it back up eventually). I also had started an audiobook. I was two hours in, but kept listening to podcasts instead (so many good podcasts!) because I was so uninterested in the story. Finally I just stopped listening and chose something else instead. I was so proud of myself because usually I will make myself power through! That being said, I did only listen to one audio this month because I just could not find the steam to power through it for a lot of the time.
Book 81 of 2024 📖 Sync by Ellen Hopkins (4/5⭐️)
📚GENRE: YA Contemporary Fiction
🗓PUBLISHED: 27 August 2024
Seventeen-year-old twins Storm and Lake have always been in perfect sync. They faced the worst a parent could do and survived it together. In the wake of their mother’s rejection, they’ve spent the last five years moving from foster home to foster home—sometimes placed together, sometimes apart.
After being separated from his sister once again, Storm is devastated. He’s the older brother and promised to always take care of Lake. But after a stint in juvie, his newest placement has him feeling almost hopeful. His foster dad is kind, and his girlfriend, Jaidyn, is the first person other than Lake he feels he can trust. But when Jaidyn is sexually assaulted by a violent ex, it pushes Storm over the edge. He retaliates and lands back in lockup—and he fears this time it will be for good. He wishes he could talk to Lake, but he doesn’t know where she is, and he' s now feeling more alone and out of sync than ever before.
Lake, like Storm, has found her own happiness in a relationship with someone new—her fellow foster, Parker. Life with Parker is never boring, but Parker has her own scars. She can be withdrawn and unpredictable, and that can be dangerous, especially after Parker convinces Lake to run away from their Bible-thumping fosters after they are caught in a compromising position. With no money, shelter, or ID, they’re living on the streets. Lake thinks of Storm and his promise to take care of her, and wonders where he could be now.
Told in dual perspectives through unsent letters, at turns heartbreaking and always honest, this latest novel in verse from #1 New York Times bestselling author Ellen Hopkins is a searing and unforgettable account of two teens caught in the teeth of the foster care system, fighting their way out and back to each other.
I loved reading the story and didn’t want to put it down, but I didn’t feel like it dug quite as deep as some of her others. I called the ending (though I wish it would have kept going to I could have seen how it played out!) There was definitely more sweetness in this story than I was use to from her.
Book 82 of 2024 📖 The Roommate (Nightmare Hall #2) by Diane Hoh (3.5/5⭐️)
📚GENRE: YA Horror
🗓PUBLISHED: 1 August 1993
Four very different roommates share a suite in the quad—beautiful Danni, shy Maureen, mysterious Margot, and wild Lacey—and soon one of them may be dead.
I finally got around to ordering (almost) all the Nightmare Hall books that I couldn’t get on kindle. (There are still more that are like $30+ on eBay, but I can’t rationalize that!) honestly the books are all the same, but they’re still enjoyable. Like the others, this story was written in a way where anyone could be the “bad guy,” and you don’t find out until the end.
(No link to this one because I had to dig deep into eBay to find a copy!)
Book 83 of 2024 📖 The Third Gilmore Girl: A Memoir by Kelly Bishop (4/5⭐️)
📚GENRE: Memoir
🗓PUBLISHED: 17 September 2024
Kelly Bishop’s long, storied career has been defined by landmark achievements, from winning a Tony Award for her turn in the original Broadway cast of A Chorus Line to her memorable performance as Jennifer Grey’s mother in Dirty Dancing. But it is probably her iconic role as matriarch Emily in the modern classic Gilmore Girls that cemented her legacy.
Now, Bishop reflects on her remarkable life and looks towards the future with The Third Gilmore Girl. She shares some of her greatest stories and the life lessons she’s learned on her journey. From her early transition from dance to drama, to marrying young to a compulsive gambler, to the losses and achievements she experienced—among them marching for women’s rights and losing her second husband to cancer—Bishop offers a rich, genuine celebration of her life.
Full of witty insights and featuring a special collection of personal and professional photographs, The Third Gilmore Girlis a warm, unapologetic, and spirited memoir from a woman who has left indelible impressions on her audiences for decades and has no plans on slowing down.
I really enjoyed Kelly Bishop’s memoir. I can honestly say that I did not know anything about her other than her starring in Gilmore Girls. I had no idea she had such a long history of dancing and theater. My only disappointment is that I wish there had been more about Gilmore Girls in this book. I understand that that was not a huge part of her career time-wise, but being that the book was literally named after the show, I did expect more. She did mention she had a different title originally in mind for the book, which I think would’ve made a lot more sense and would have been more in line with her life story.
Book 84 of 2024 🎧 Pucking Around (Jacksonville Rays #1) by Emily Rath (3/5⭐️)
📚GENRE: Romance (🌶️)
🗓PUBLISHED: 20 March 2023
My name is Rachel Price, and two months ago, I walked away from the perfect man. Sweet and funny, and so hot it should be illegal—we shared one magical night. No names. No strings. I never thought I'd see him again.
I was wrong. It turns out Mr. Perfect is the playboy grinder for the Jacksonville Rays, the NHL's hottest new hockey team . . . and I'm his new physical therapist. Oh, and the jerk doesn't even recognize me!
This fellowship is going to be the longest ten months of my life. Mr. Perfect Mistake will do anything to get back on my good side. Meanwhile, his best friend is the surly new equipment manager always riding my case. Worst of all, I've got an uncooperative goalie who thinks I can't tell he's hiding an injury!
This is my chance to prove myself, and I'm not risking it for anything. But with one unexpected night, one secret revealed, these men are ready to test all my limits. I can't fall for a player . . . let alone three. But if love is a game, these guys are playing to win.
Bonus content: Audio edition includes the spicy prequel novella That One Night.
Well. I have some thoughts about this book. Most of which I won’t share. What I will share is as follows….when I started this book, I thought for sure I would DNF it. The beginning bored me. But then the spice picked up. WHOA did it pick up. Almost too much? I feel like this book was too long, and some of the sex scenes should have been edited out. I understand the point of the book, but it felt like too much. Also listening to it on audio was so cringey sometimes. I just couldn’t handle the dialogue - or especially the male performers voicing the female character - it was blegh. Almost 20 hours in and if I hadn’t have invested that much time, I WOULD have DNF’d it. This is the only audiobook I listened to this month because it was so darn long and I kept putting it aside and listening to podcasts instead. I like spice, but I like a storyline, and though this book technically had one, it was so scattered in all the spice scenes that it felt almost irrelevant. I have the next book on audio, but honestly I think I’m going to remove it from my TBR. If someday I get to it, cool, but it’s definitely not a priority.
Book 85 of 2024 📖 The Scream Team (Nightmare Hall #5) by Diane Hoh (3/5⭐️)
📚GENRE: YA Horror
🗓PUBLISHED: 1993
Delle dreams of becoming a cheerleader for Salem University, but she soon discovers the horrifying truth about what happened to last year's cheerleaders, and she realizes she may die if she makes the squad.
I feel like I keep saying this, but there is nothing I can say about this book that I haven’t said about the others. The resolution was predictably unpredictable. The story is short, but enjoyable, though probably more so out of nostalgia than anything.
(No link, again, due to my eBay deep dive).
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(Summaries are from Amazon, but all thoughts about them are my own!)
Reading Challenge: 85/120 books read in 2024
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