This Chick Read: Love on Paper by Danielle Parker

Macy’s parents are both best-selling authors, which is a lot to live up to when you, too want to be a writer. When she gets into an exclusive four week writing camp with other young writers she is excited but at the same time feels the pressure of living up to her mother’s expectations. When their writing genre is revealed to be romance, a subject she knows nothing about, her fears of not being able to live up to the challenge cause a case of writers block. Until she meets her critique partner, Caleb, who has similar issues to her own and they’re willing to overlook their parents beef with each other to help each other write the best romance- as well as solve a small mystery that gets thrown their way.

For such a simple story about two kids at a writing camp, there was a lot going on both emotionally and with the plot. Macy and Caleb’s parents having issues with each other, Macy’s relationship with her mother, Caleb’s dealing with his mom’s recent death, writing a romance, and solving a mystery that involves their families. Whew! There was barely enough time for Macy and Caleb to do all that plus develop feelings for each other in a four week time period. Somehow, the author, and these characters, ended up doing it all culminating in a sweet young adult novel that teaches a few life lessons along the way.

The mystery I was alluding to is what held my interest through this novel. It allowed the two main characters to actually act like young kids, finding corners to hold hands and smooch, breaking and entering, doing socially silly things, then of course find clues that help them both figure out some of their emotional issues with their parental units. It was a little bit like floating down a lazy river with a ton or twists and turns, but eventually the characters got their conflicts solved and the plot concluded nicely if not totally at a pace that pleased my style of reading. As this is a very clean, sweet, young adult novel, the pace fit the plot and characters very well. ❤️❤️❤️❣️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest!

Click this link to purchase this book!* Love on Paper

Copyright 2025 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

This Chick Read: Dating and Dragons by Kristy Boyce

Quinn Norton knows that making new friends at a brand new high school is almost impossible, especially when it’s the middle of the year but when she’s invited to join a D&D game she’s determined to make this friend group work. Even though they livestream their games and enforce strict rules like no phones and no dating inside the friend group. She’s slightly disappointed in that last rule because when she first meets Logan she thinks they have a great connection but as soon as she joins the group he becomes insufferable and rude. After a while she begins to wonder if his behavior is a smokescreen for hidden feelings?

I had a great time reading this author’s first novel Dungeons and Drama so when I saw this second D&D themed young adult novel I couldn’t resist, even though I don’t fall within the target demo. Dating and Dragons, while not quite as good as the first is a very cute, and very quick read. It’s a simple premise but the author does such a good job making the subject matter easy to grasp for a D&D novice, and the characters were very likable and interesting.

I think we’ve all been the new girl at some point or other so it’s easy to identify with Quinn’s situation- starting a new school and wanting to make friends. As an adult, every time you start a new job you find yourself in similar situations and despite the whole aging process, it sometimes feels like you never left high school and all of those insecurities you had as a teen. I loved how this new group Quinn wants to join reflects the society that we live in today. D&D, in my day, wouldn’t be something you’d admit to playing, but now all kinds of games, hobbies, and different groups of people are not looked at as being different at all. For me, that was one of the things that made this story so refreshing. The easy to read story and likable characters didn’t hurt either!

❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest!

Click this link to purchase this book!* Dating and Dragons

Copyright 2024 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the affiliated link I’ll receive a small stipend.

This Chick Read: Heir, Apparently by Kara McDowell

After surviving a narrowly-averted apocalypse last summer, Wren is trying to live a normal life as a Freshman at Northwestern. When she receives a marriage certificate in the mail carrying two signatures, she has to face a big problem. Theo, her adventurous companion during the apocalypse the previous summer, signed his real signature on what was supposed to be a fake wedding certificate. Now, Wren may be married to the soon to be King of England! Spotting him on social media, with her dog Comet, in Canada, Wren and her best friend decide to get her dog back. Oh, and to also face the consequences of that marriage certificate.

This series is a fun escape from reality and I’m a big fan. After reading The Prince and the Apocalypse last year, this author jumped onto my radar and I knew I wanted to keep an eye out for the sequel. After all, the first book had so many unanswered questions. The biggest being did they or did they not really get married. Heir, Apparently picks up right where the last novel left off. A few weeks later Wren is trying to live a normal life on campus at Northwestern but she can’t quite get Theo off her brain and not only because he stole her dog Comet. When she and her best friend Naomi launch a plan to get her dog back, I settle in for a fun read. I know mishaps and miscommunications are sure to follow! What I didn’t expect was a survival style adventure Part deux.

This story arc definitely plays heavily on the little girl fantasy of having a handsome prince fall in love with the normal American teenage girl and it does it really well. I would’ve wished for a bit more open communication between the main characters to speed their emotional story arc a long a little sooner, but honestly they are both teenagers and you can’t expect them to communicate like adults. What I did love was that they had to rely on each other in order to survive the plane crash on the deserted island, which brought them close again and definitely recaptured that action-adventure style I enjoyed from the first novel. If you want a fun romp of a novel then I think this one captures that spirit!

❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest!

Click this link to purchase this book! Heir, Apparently

Copyright 2024 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate-if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

This Chicks Sunday Commentary: My Top 5 Most Anticipated Book Releases- Feb’24

I feel like this February has more books being released by authors I love than normal. This was a hard list to choose my favorites, but I am up for the task! I’ve perused my favorite book lists and found a few that I can’t wait to read and a couple that I’ve already enjoyed. Here are my top 5.

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this novel. Guys, it was so good! I love the way Kylie Scott writes characters who a reader can enjoy. Sometimes I feel like I’m forcing myself to like a character in order to get through a story. Not this one! I loved these two main characters.

Synopsis: When Lilah Goodluck saves the life of Good Witch Willow as they’re crossing a busy L.A. street, the last thing she expects is five unwanted predictions as a reward. Who gives someone the winning lotto numbers then tells them they’ve only got a week to live? And who believes in that nonsense anyway?
 
But when the first three predictions come true within twenty-four hours, Lilah’s disbelief turns to mild panic. She’s further horrified when she nearly runs a car off the road that belongs to Alistair Lennox, who just happens to be the illegitimate son of the British king.
 
While Alistair is intrigued by her preposterous story, Lilah is adamant about resisting the heat between her and the playboy prince. If she denies he’s her soulmate, then the last prediction can’t come true, right? As the days count down, they become maybe friends…and then maybe more. But between the relentless paparazzi and some disapproving royals, finding time for love isn’t easy, especially when her days may be numbered.

Click this link to purchase this book!* The Last Days of Lilah Goodluck

Tia Williams previous novel Seven Days in June was soooo good! I knew A Love Song for Ricki Wilde was going to make my top 5 with its book release. Can’t wait!

Synopsis: Leap years are a strange, enchanted time. And for some, even a single February can be life-changing.

Ricki Wilde has many talents, but being a Wilde isn’t one of them. As the impulsive, artistic daughter of a powerful Atlanta dynasty, she’s the opposite of her famous socialite sisters. Where they’re long-stemmed roses, she’s a dandelion: an adorable bloom that’s actually a weed, born to float wherever the wind blows. In her bones, Ricki knows that somewhere, a different, more exciting life awaits her.

When regal nonagenarian, Ms. Della, invites her to rent the bottom floor of her Harlem brownstone, Ricki jumps at the chance for a fresh beginning. She leaves behind her family, wealth, and chaotic romantic decisions to realize her dream of opening a flower shop. And just beneath the surface of her new neighborhood, the music, stories and dazzling drama of the Harlem Renaissance still simmers.

One evening in February as the heady, curiously off-season scent of night-blooming jasmine fills the air, Ricki encounters a handsome, deeply mysterious stranger who knocks her world off balance in the most unexpected way.  

Set against the backdrop of modern Harlem and Renaissance glamour, A Love Song for Ricki Wilde is a swoon-worthy love story of two passionate artists drawn to the magic, romance, and opportunity of New York, and whose lives are uniquely and irreversibly linked. 

Click this link to purchase this book!* A Love Song For Ricki Wilde

It’s been a few years since the last Katie Ruggle romance novel and when I saw this one was coming out I clicked that auto-buy button immediately. Her characters are quirky, fun, and always surprise me with their depth. She also writes a great action sequence so don’t be surprised if there’s a little danger in that romantic plot.

Synopsis:

When Dahlia Weathersby’s sister disappears on what should have been a simple day hike, Dahlia immediately heads deep into the Colorado Rockies to find her. Knowing she’ll never survive the mountains alone, she convinces the local hermit—adorably grouchy survival expert Winston Dane—to be her guide. All it takes is a good helping of Dahlia’s charm…and just the teeniest bit of blackmail…before she’s got all six-foot-something of him wrapped around her finger. But even with her very own mountain man in tow, things aren’t going to be easy. There are:

  • Long hikes through gorgeous wilderness? Check.
  • Bears? Check.
  • A single shared sleeping bag? Check.
  • Enough sparks to set the Rockies ablaze? Check, check, check.

With everything the wilderness has to throw at them, it’ll take more than charm and some city girl ingenuity to make this trek anything but a disaster waiting to happen…and an adventure she’ll never forget.

Click this link to make a purchase!* Fish Out of Water

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase one of these books through the appropriate link I’ll receive a small stipend.

When Erin Hahn is good she is really good. The premise leads me to believe this one is going to be great. Plus that cover? Gorgeous!

Synopsis: The only thing keeping nineteen-year-old Case Michaels together after the death of his best friend, Walker, is a list Walker left behind of things he wants Case to accomplish in his absence. So far, though, Case hasn’t even been able to continue riding bulls in the rodeo circuit, something he’s done his entire life, balking at the thought of competing without Walker by his side. But the list? Case is determined to follow it to the letter– and he follows it all the way to Winnie Sutton.

Eighteen-year-old Winnie Sutton just wants to keep her family together. She graduated high school early to work long shifts at the Michaels family ranch so she can support her younger siblings and a father who’s more than happy to let Winnie fill the responsible parent role. If she sometimes sneaks out to ride the horses herself and forget about life for a while– well, that’s no one else’s business– until the day she crashes headfirst into Case Michaels. Case sees her riding skills and immediately ropes her into competing for the ranch and becoming his friend.

Winnie and Case couldn’t be more different, but Case can’t help but be inspired by Winnie’s badly-hidden passion for riding and competition. And there’s something about Case that makes Winnie want to try grasping onto a dream for herself, whether that’s a shot at a rodeo trophy, the annoyingly handsome rancher’s son who won’t leave her alone, or maybe both.

Click this link to purchase the book!* Even If It Breaks Your Heart

A paranormal romance by Ali Hazelwood?!!! I was so lucky to get this book ahead of time and can’t wait to listen to the audio book when it comes out. It was original, the characters (as usual) were amazing, and the world building was so surprising! I can’t wait for a second novel in this world.

Synopsis: A dangerous alliance between a Vampyre bride and an Alpha Werewolf becomes a love deep enough to sink your teeth into in this new paranormal romance from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Love, Theoretically and The Love Hypothesis.

Misery Lark, the only daughter of the most powerful Vampyre councilman of the Southwest, is an outcast—again. Her days of living in anonymity among the Humans are over: she has been called upon to uphold a historic peacekeeping alliance between the Vampyres and their mortal enemies, the Weres, and she sees little choice but to surrender herself in the exchange—again…

Weres are ruthless and unpredictable, and their Alpha, Lowe Moreland, is no exception. He rules his pack with absolute authority, but not without justice. And, unlike the Vampyre Council, not without feeling. It’s clear from the way he tracks Misery’s every movement that he doesn’t trust her. If only he knew how right he was….

Because Misery has her own reasons to agree to this marriage of convenience, reasons that have nothing to do with politics or alliances, and everything to do with the only thing she’s ever cared about. And she is willing to do whatever it takes to get back what’s hers, even if it means a life alone in Were territory…alone with the wolf.

Click this link to purchase this book!* Bride

This Chick Read: Stars and Smoke by Marie Lu

International Popstar Winter Young is at the top of the charts and one of the most watched stars in the world. He should be flying high but his insecurities and some trauma from his past has him looking for something more. Enter Sydney Cossette, a member of a secret government agency, who is assigned to be one of Winter’s bodyguards when he performs for a European oligarch’s daughters birthday party. Winter’s on stage persona makes him the perfect foil to gather top secret info and stop an illegal arms deal from going through. Of course, not everything goes as planned.

Marie Lu’s novels are written for one purpose, to entertain her readers. Stars and Smoke delivers on this promise! Winter Young is a very interesting character,he’s the youngest son of a mother who never paid him much attention, favoring his older brother who reminds her of happier times. When that brother dies, Winter is left feeling like she wishes it had been him instead, so when he’s approached by the agency he has a couple of reasons to help them, but he never figures that he would be good at what they’ve asked him to do.

Sydney was kind of a wildcard character. She lived to succeed at her job and didn’t think much of this superstar with whom she was paired. She quickly finds out that he is not the person who he portrays on stage and has some serious skills that translate well into his new career as a spy. I loved how these two characters interacted and the chemistry they had as partners and possibly something more.

Stars and Smoke was a very fast paced story that was a movie in my mind. I could very easily visualize everything I was reading on the page and easily connected with the main characters. It was fun to read, which is one of the best compliments I can give to a book.

❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book!* Stars and Smoke

Copyright 2023 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

This Chick Read: Sometime in Summer by Katrina Leno

Anna Bell has just turned fourteen, leaving her most unlucky year behind. After a fight with her best friend and her parents separating she’s happy to be starting fresh. Taking a trip with her mom to the east coast for two months might be stretching it but once Anna arrives in Rockport she feels immediately refreshed and the once in a lifetime meteor shower makes this visit seem magical. Anna meets two new friends who help her navigate her parents split and the loneliness she feels being away from home.

Katrina Leno’s novels are always super easy to read with characters that are easy to identify with and Sometime in Summer is no different. Anna reminded me of all of those anxious moments from my own childhood, meeting new friends, starting my period, and navigating the emotions of my parents split. The Kit-Hale meteor shower definitely adds an unreal atmosphere for her time spent in this beach town. Anna is a girl who is at that awkward stage where she feels everything deeply but doesn’t show her emotions, hiding all of her troubles from parents who are going through their own issues.

I loved the unexplained moments that this author shared in this book. Slightly magical and definitely supernatural they added an air of mystery and hope that I just couldn’t help but love. Katrina Leno definitely knows how to create magical moments in her novels. There were moments that were just lovely.

If you love young adult novels that send you back in time to your own youth and also has elements of mysticism I think you’ll love this novel, please give it a try! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest.

Click this link to purchase this book!* Sometime in Summer

Copyright 2022 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this novel through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.