It has been a while since I have completed a Recent Netgalley Reads post! I have been reading a lot of newer releases through Netgalley that I made into separate book reviews, but I also am continuing to tackle my Netgalley backlist! Since the beginning of the year, I have read and reviewed 28 books from Netgalley.
As part of my 2024 Netgalley Challenge (where I am attempting to reduce the number of unread ARCS to 10), I read 5 of my backlist e-ARCS in May and June! This brings my current number of unread ARCS to 18 (however, six of those are upcoming releases).
Before I get to the reviews, I want to say a HUGE thank you to Netgalley and the publishers of these books for giving me a chance to do what I love and read books. I am forever grateful I have the opportunity to do what I love and find some great books for both my students and fellow book lovers.
Teen Killers Club – Lily Sparks
Teen Killers Club by Lily Sparks Published on November 10, 2020
Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult
Pages: 320
Format: ARC, Audiobook
Goodreads
Seventeen-year-old Signal Deere has raised eyebrows for years as an unhappy Goth misfit from the trailer park. When she's convicted of her best friend Rose's brutal murder, she's designated a Class A—the most dangerous and manipulative criminal profile.
To avoid prison, Signal signs on for a secret program for 18-and-under Class As and is whisked off to an abandoned sleep-away camp, where she and seven bunkmates will train as assassins. Yet even in the Teen Killers Club, Signal doesn't fit in. She's squeamish around blood. She's kind and empathetic. And her optimistic attitude is threatening to turn a group of ragtag maniacs into a team of close-knit friends.
Maybe that's because Signal's not really a killer. She was framed for Rose's murder and only joined the program to escape, track down Rose's real killer, and clear her name. But Signal never planned on the sinister technologies that keep the campers confined. She never planned on the mysterious man in the woods determined to pick them off one by one. And she certainly never planned on falling in love.
Signal's strategy is coming apart at the seams as the true killer prepares to strike again in Teen Killers Club.
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from “Teen Killers Club,” but it turned out to be a pleasant surprise! I’ve been sitting on this book for four years since I requested it, mainly because I loved the concept but was a bit skeptical about how it would play out in a YA setting.
The book was campy in the best ways, and it also was a little more graphic than I initially expected! 80s camp slashers are one of my favorite types of horror genre and this book was very reminincisent of those vibes. There is a love triangle plot line, which is usually not my favorite trope, but it ended up being executed in an okay way. Teen Killers Club wasn’t perfect, but it was a whole lot of fun. I will most likely be buying the entire series for my classroom, because I think I could easily recommend this to my students!
4/5 Stars
Never Ever Getting Back Together – Sophie Gonzales
Never Ever Getting Back Together by Sophie Gonzales Published on November 29, 2022
Genres: LGBTQ+, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 336
Format: ARC, Paperback
It’s been two years since Maya's ex-boyfriend cheated on her, and she still can’t escape him: his sister married the crown prince of a minor European country and he captured hearts as her charming younger brother. If the world only knew the real Jordy, the manipulative liar who broke Maya’s heart.
Skye Kaplan was always cautious with her heart until Jordy said all the right things and earned her trust. Now his face is all over the media and Skye is still wondering why he stopped calling.
When Maya and Skye are invited to star on the reality dating show Second-Chance Romance, they’re whisked away to a beautiful mansion—along with four more of Jordy’s exes—to compete for his affections while the whole world watches. Skye wonders if she and Jordy can recapture the spark she knows they had, but Maya has other plans: exposing Jordy and getting revenge. As they navigate the competition, Skye and Maya discover that their real happily ever after is nothing they could have scripted.
I’ve mentioned it before, but I LOVE reality TV show plot lines in romance novels (which is especially funny because I hate watching reality TV shows in real life). I think Never Ever Getting Back Together did a great job with the reality show plot line. The actual setup for the show was great – I really enjoyed how the crew members got involved, and they were even given a little personality of their own. The cast of girls was also great, and I felt like everyone really was able to shine in some way.
The book was not perfect, but it didn’t need to be. I was really worried about the characters in this book becoming more of a love triangle, but thankfully, that was not the case. The chemistry between Maya and Skye was strong, and it really helped that the ex-boyfriend, Jordy, was such a miserable character.
4.5/5 Stars
Each of Us a Desert – Mark Oshiro
Each of Us a Desert by Mark Oshiro Published on September 15, 2020
Genres: Fantasy, LGBTQ+, Young Adult
Pages: 332
Format: ARC
From award-winning author Mark Oshiro comes a powerful coming-of-age fantasy novel about finding home and falling in love amidst the dangers of a desert where stories come to life
Xochitl is destined to wander the desert alone, speaking her troubled village's stories into its arid winds. Her only companions are the blessed stars above and enigmatic lines of poetry magically strewn across dusty dunes.
Her one desire: to share her heart with a kindred spirit.
One night, Xo's wish is granted—in the form of Emilia, the cold and beautiful daughter of the town's murderous conqueror. But when the two set out on a magical journey across the desert, they find their hearts could be a match... if only they can survive the nightmare-like terrors that arise when the sun goes down.
DNF @ 56%
The beginning of the book had me hooked. The main character’s journey was an interesting storyline. Xochitl serves an important role in her community–she has to listen to everyone’s confessions of bad deeds, absorb them, and then return them to the sun God. The set-up was great, especially with the main character since she typically does not remember many of her community’s confessions.
I do think this was a well-written book, but the story was moving along too slowly for me personally. I think fantasy readers who love character-driven fantasies rather than plot-driven ones will really enjoy this one. The lessons and inner conflicts are extremely relatable.
Unrated
Gone for Good – Joanna Schaffhausen
Gone for Good by Joanna Schaffhausen Published on August 10, 2021
Genres: Adult, Crime, Thriller
Pages: 304
Format: ARC
Gone For Good is the first in a new mystery series from award-winning author Joanna Schaffhausen, featuring Detective Annalisa Vega, in which a cold case heats up.
The Lovelorn Killer murdered seven women, ritually binding them and leaving them for dead before penning them gruesome love letters in the local papers. Then he disappeared, and after twenty years with no trace of him, many believe that he’s gone for good.Not Grace Harper. A grocery store manager by day, at night Grace uses her snooping skills as part of an amateur sleuth group. She believes the Lovelorn Killer is still living in the same neighborhoods that he hunted in, and if she can figure out how he selected his victims, she will have the key to his identity.
Detective Annalisa Vega lost someone she loved to the killer. Now she’s at a murder scene with the worst kind of déjà vu: Grace Harper lies bound and dead on the floor, surrounded by clues to the biggest murder case that Chicago homicide never solved. Annalisa has the chance to make it right and to heal her family, but first, she has to figure out what Grace knew—how to see a killer who may be standing right in front of you. This means tracing his steps back to her childhood, peering into dark corners she hadn’t acknowledged before, and learning that despite everything the killer took, she has still so much more to lose.
From the very first chapter, I was intrigued by the murder mystery. I appreciated that the book didn’t give away too much about the crime earlier on because it really helped keep the mystery going.
The writing style of Gone for Good was straight-forward. There was no fluff, fancy wordings, etc. The book mostly reads like a crime drama rather than a thriller, but that didn’t bother me. I have realized that I tend to get more involved in police drama stories rather than when the “detective” is a civilian. There were also some excerpts from the murder victim’s diary that helped move the story along as well. One or two of them felt a little pointless to me, but otherwise, I think they really added a lot to the plot. I had a fun time with this one–I am interested in reading more of this series!
4/5 Stars
Thank You, Next – Kathryn Freeman
Thank You, Next by Kathryn Freeman Published on June 30, 2024
Genres: Romcom, Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 384
Format: ARC
In this game of hearts, the stakes have never been higher...
Molly Harris is used to being left. Parents, boyfriends – she’s the queen of rejection. Her latest boyfriend, gym-fanatic Duncan, dumps her to go on reality dating show The One which sets up hot singletons to date for four weeks before meeting at the altar to say, ‘I do’.
But Duncan was the one who picked Molly up and put her back together the last time her heart got broken, so, determined not to let ‘The One’ get away, she follows Duncan onto the show. If she can prove that they’re meant to be, she might just get the happily ever after of her dreams...
But on the first day of filming, another reminder of her painful history walks into Happily Ever After Towers: Ben Knight, her it’s-not-you-it’s-me heartbreaker. The one she loved before Duncan.
In four weeks’ time, who will she meet at the altar? Duncan, the first person who ever made her feel loved, or Ben, the first person who made her feel?
I am really bummed I didn’t like this one. As I said earlier, I have been loving the reality TV show romances lately, and while I loved the concept of the reality show in this book, the characters were so underdeveloped that it didn’t matter.
The writing just wasn’t strong with this one. One of the main characters, Ben, went back and forth so many times with how “ready” he was to be in a committed relationship. Same with Molly. Here’s an example: Molly thought, “He’d not intended to hurt her, she could see that now, and she’d not exactly handled things well from her side either, twisting everything he’d said until she’d convinced herself he’d not cared at all. He had, just nowhere near as much as she’d cared for him,” but then two pages later, she had almost the exact same realization after she snapped at him for not wanting to be with her. The storyline was just a little too repetitive.
I have seen other readers enjoy this one, however. If you enjoy reality TV, love triangles, and interesting side characters (I did like the character of Ben’s sister!), I suggest giving this one a try.
2/5 Stars
After reading these books (and some other newer releases), my Netgalley review ratio is currently at 80%! It was my goal to be at 80% end of the year, even with the new books I have requested. I have officially reached that goal, but I would like to get it even higher! Since I have a lower number of books I’ve reviewed, the number changes a little too quickly for my taste 😂
If you’re a Netgalley user, let me know your current ratio (no shame here, I was at 40% for a VERY long time) and give me your favorite tips in the comments!
Until next time.