Hi friends, happy June! Some of these have been released, some have not, but I liked them all and you should check them out!

The Chaperone by M. Hendrix
Maeve Fly by C.J. Leede
You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron
Garden of the Cursed by Katy Rose Pool
The Warning by Kristy Acevedo

The Chaperone by M. Hendrix
Published by Sourcebooks on June 6, 2023
Pages: 448
Format:eARC
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review, via Netgalley

Like every young woman in New America, Stella knows the rules:

Deflect attention. Abstain from sin. Navigate the world with care. Give obedience. Embrace purity. Respect your chaperone.

Stella can't go out by herself, or spend time with boys except at Visitations. Girls in New America must have chaperones at all times until they marry, so Stella's lucky that Sister Helen is like a friend to her. When Sister Helen dies suddenly, she's devastated, especially when the Constables assign Stella a new chaperone just days later.

Sister Laura is... different. She leaves Stella alone at the library (isn't that illegal?) and knows how to get into the "Hush Hush" parties where all kinds of forbidden things happen. As Stella spends more time with Sister Laura, she begins to question everything she's been taught. What if the Constables' rules don't actually protect girls? What if they were never meant to keep them safe?

Once Stella glimpses both real freedom and the dark truths behind New America, she has no choice but to fight back against the world she knows. She sets out on a dangerous journey across what was once the United States, risking everything.

At the start, I thought that this was going to be a sort of run-of-the-mill dystopian, similar to some of the early 2010s fare I used to adore. But wow, I got so much more! The Chaperone was incredibly thought provoking, very engaging, and provided a ton of important social commentary, and I simply could not put it down. And I read it in Europe, so the fact that I was itching to get back to this book says a lot!

Stella lives in New America. New America is The Worst. And frankly, it is very plausible. It is actually what I figure will eventually happen to the country- it will kind of have to split off, because the oppressors and the people who enjoy basic freedoms won’t be able to sustain this tension much longer. And, I prefer separation to war, especially since we are the side who doesn’t feel the need to arm ourselves to the teeth. I digress. Stella has only known life in New America. She is told that her being a woman makes her “less than”, that her dad is in control of her life, and since she began menstruating, must be watched by, you guessed it, a chaperone. Her whole trajectory in life will either be wife/mother, or chaperone. They don’t even teach girls real subjects in school. It’s all very gross.

Here’s the (happy) catch: Not everyone in New America, not even the seemingly “devout” chaperones, is cool with this garbage. But Stella, whose family has been not only part of the New America cause, but leaders of the cause, cannot even wrap her head around it. Until her chaperone dies under mysterious circumstances, and a new chaperone begins to open her eyes to the world around her.

I don’t want to give too much away, since it really is the heart of the story, but Stella’s transformation and growth is beautiful. And frankly, it gave me hope. That maybe even the most brainwashed folks can claw their way out, you know? Stella has to learn so much, not just about the real world around her, but her own beliefs and values, as well as the true nature of the members of her family. I could not put this book down, I was so engaged in the story of both Stella, and this world. The book ends well, but it also certainly lends itself to a sequel, which I would be clamoring for. May I clamor now? Thanks. I need to read more about this world, it is so fascinating, and while the author does a great job building it, I also think there is so much more that we could discover. Someone, green light this stat.

Bottom Line: I had a feeling this would be my kind of book, but it blew my already high expectations out of the water.

Maeve Fly by C.J. Leede
Published by Tor Nightfire on June 6, 2023
Pages: 288
Format:eARC
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review, via Netgalley

By day, Maeve Fly works at the happiest place in the world as every child’s favorite ice princess.

By the neon night glow of the Sunset Strip, Maeve haunts the dive bars with a drink in one hand and a book in the other, imitating her misanthropic literary heroes.

But when Gideon Green - her best friend’s brother - moves to town, he awakens something dangerous within her, and the world she knows suddenly shifts beneath her feet.

Untethered, Maeve ditches her discontented act and tries on a new persona. A bolder, bloodier one, inspired by the pages of American Psycho. Step aside Patrick Bateman, it’s Maeve’s turn with the knife.

Look, I cannot say that I like this book, because I think if you claim to “like” it, men in white coats will come snatch you? This book is so  wonderfully messed up, so… well, absolutely batshit, I do not know where to begin. So while I can’t claim to like it, for legal reasons, I will say that I one hundred percent could not put it down.

Now, for some warnings, which are not at all comprehensive: this book contains just about every possible thing that can trigger a person. So if you are sensitive to violence or gore or sexual assault, or really any other bad thing, maybe this one isn’t for you. Because this book will have those things. Not at first, mind. At first, the reader is lulled into a bit of a false sense of security, like “but Maeve is just going through some stuff!”, which she absolutely is. She’s not having the best time, and she’s quite down on herself in general, and I think that really helps the reader to become sympathetic toward her. There’s certainly a psychological aspect at play here, because you can understand Maeve’s mindset, to some extent, and that in itself is terrifying. But impending loss and feeling adrift are certainly things many of us can relate to.

It went off the rails for me a little bit toward the end? Obviously can’t say too much about that, but I think compared to the earlier portions of the book, it was hard for my brain to handle such a sudden shift into action. But truly, from start to finish, I was captivated by Maeve’s story. I was also horrified by it, make no mistake, but I think for me, the scariest part of the story was that on some level, I sympathized with Maeve. Which… yikes.

Bottom Line: I could not put down this incredibly messed up but compulsively readable story.

You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron
Published by Bloomsbury YA on June 20, 2023
Pages: 240
Format:ARC
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review

At Camp Mirror Lake, terror is the name of the game . . . but can you survive the night?

This heart-pounding slasher by New York Times bestselling author Kalynn Bayron is perfect for fans of Fear Street.

Charity Curtis has the summer job of her dreams, playing the “final girl” at Camp Mirror Lake. Guests pay to be scared in this full-contact terror game, as Charity and her summer crew recreate scenes from a classic slasher film, Curse of Camp Mirror Lake. The more realistic the fear, the better for business.

But the last weekend of the season, Charity's co-workers begin disappearing. And when one ends up dead, Charity's role as the final girl suddenly becomes all too real. If Charity and her girlfriend Bezi hope to survive the night, they'll need figure out what this killer is after. Is there is more to the story of Mirror Lake and its dangerous past than Charity ever suspected?

This book was a quick, fairly enjoyable read that I doubt will leave a lasting impression. It’s a campy (in multiple ways heh) story about a girl who spends her summers playing the “final girl” at Camp Mirror Lake, which basically is… a live action horror movie experience? Look, the book explains it better than I can, but people pay to have the absolute bejeezus scared out of them, and Charity is one of the people who provides this experience.

Only, things are starting to get more than a little scary at the camp. Charity is given instructions to shut things down after several coworkers go missing and a lady who claims to live nearby brings a gun and threatens the workers. Charity is a better woman than me, because I’d have hightailed it out of there at the first sign of sketchiness, no summer job is worth my life, but she’s pretty committed. So she calls her girlfriend and friend from home to come help her close up camp, since she’s down a few employees.

Like I said, it was certainly a quick enough story, and I wasn’t bored. The story moved at a good pace, and was entertaining. But that’s about it, for me personally. I wasn’t as hooked on the mystery as I’d hoped to be, and I can’t quite put my finger on why. I liked Charity enough, though I didn’t feel a ton of connection to her- in fairness, it is a short book and obviously could not devote a ton of time to character development. I did quite enjoy the way the book wrapped up, at least, and felt very satisfied by the ending.

Bottom Line: This was a fun enough book, one that would be great to read if you are looking to escape for a few hours with a mystery that isn’t too out there.

Garden of the Cursed by Katy Rose Pool
Series: Garden of the Cursed #1
on June 20, 2023
Pages: 352
Format:eARC
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review, via Netgalley

In this thrilling YA fantasy/mystery duology from award-winning author Katy Pool, cursebreaker Marlow Briggs reluctantly pretends to be in love with one of the most powerful nobles in Caraza City to gain entry into an illustrious—and deadly—society that holds clues to her mother's disappearance. Perfect for fans of Veronica Mars, These Violent Delights, and Chain of Iron.

Since fleeing the gilded halls of Evergarden for the muck-filled canals of the Marshes, Marlow Briggs has made a name for herself as the best godsdamn cursebreaker in Caraza City. But no matter how many cases she solves, she is still haunted by the mystery of her mother’s disappearance.

When Adrius Falcrest, Marlow's old friend and scion of one of Caraza's most affluent spell-making families, asks her to help break a life-threatening curse, Marlow wants nothing to do with the boy who spurned her a year ago. But a new lead in her mother’s case makes Marlow realize that the only way to get the answers she desperately seeks is to help Adrius and return to Evergarden society—even if it means suffering through a fake love affair with him to avoid drawing suspicion from the conniving Five Families.

As the investigation draws Marlow into a web of deadly secrets and powerful enemies, a shocking truth emerges: Adrius’s curse and her mother’s disappearance may just be clues to an even larger mystery, one that could unravel the very foundations of Caraza and magic itself.

So I was a little underwhelmed with the first few chapters, I will admit this. Not that I didn’t like it necessarily, I just wasn’t invested yet? But! When I did begin to become invested, I was all in. So if you aren’t feeling it at the very start, give it a second, because it was very much worth it for me!

I absolutely adored Marlow! She is wonderfully imperfect, and certainly has a lot of issues going on in her own life. Her mom is missing, for one, which is obviously not ideal. And she has a hard time letting people in in general, because she was hurt in the past. Frankly, she’s rather curmudgeonly, but in an empathetic and likable way.

I adored her rapport with Adrius. They are both really well developed, so it genuinely felt like two former friends trading barbs. But you can also tell that behind the banter are some serious mixed and hurt feelings, on both sides. I loved getting to explore that dynamic.

I also enjoyed the cursebreaking aspect, which is saying a lot because magic systems and I are hit or miss. But this one was a hit. I liked that it took not just magic, but a lot of intelligence and sleuthing to figure these curses out. And Marlow certainly has her hands full! In addition, it seems like a very scant number of people in this world are to be trusted- and that isn’t just Marlow’s jaded outlook, it just is the truth. So I loved getting to try to figure out who Marlow should trust at the same time that she is trying to decipher the same thing.

Bottom Line: Loved the characters, loved the plot, and am so glad I gave this one a full chance!

The Warning by Kristy Acevedo
Series: The Warning #1
Published by Sourcebooks Fire on June 1, 2023
Pages: 288
Format:eARC
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review, via Netgalley

The end is coming. There's no escape...or is there? The first in a compelling YA dystopian series for anyone who's ever felt like their life-their world-is on the brink of destruction.

Alexandra Lucas' anxiety disorder was enough to deal with before then mysterious holographic doors suddenly appeared throughout the world, heralding the end of the earth. The holograms claim to be humans from the future offering the promise of safety. A recording plays on loop: heed the warning and step through a portal-like vertex to safety...or stay and be destroyed by a comet that is on a collision course with the planet. But without the ability to verify their story, Alex is forced to consider what is best for her friends, her family, and herself.

Stay or go: everyone must make their own choice. With the deadline of the hologram's prophecy fast approaching, Alex feels as though she's living on a ticking time bomb. But the truth is much, much worse. And every decision comes at a price.

True story: The Warning had been on my TBR since before it was released… in 2016, as Consider. And in all that time, I never got around to it, whoops. That is good news and bad news. Bad news because this story is awesome, but good news because I got to experience it for the first time and I barely have to wait any time for the sequel!

I am so glad that this story found a new home, because it deserves one! It’s such a cool premise- a holo, supposedly from the future humans on another planet, telling current humanity that whoopsie, they’re all gonna die. But! They can jump through the portal and be saved, happy day! Obviously, people are skeptical. You would be too, don’t pretend otherwise. That was my first favorite thing about this story- the author fully explores the disbelief factor. Alex isn’t sure what she believes, but she definitely is trying to figure it all out. She suffers from anxiety on the best of days, and the potential end of humanity does not count among those.

Add to it, she’s got some messy family dynamics, and a lot of internal conflict. At times, she makes some really frustrating choices, even, but her heart is generally in the right place. It’s a lot for anyone, but extra rough for a struggling young person. I loved how the author balanced the character development with the excitement, too. There is plenty of action and tension, but the characters and their relationships are fully fleshed out and developed. Not only do we see Alex having to navigate her family relationships (which can be volatile at times), but her close relationship with her best friend, and her boyfriend.

The book shines a light on a lot of issues through the lens of the potential apocalypse. There’s quite a bit of discussion about religion, and how various religions approach this problem. So too do we have introspection about how society as a whole would react to this news, and as you can imagine, the answer is “not great”. There’s certainly exploration of mental health, as well as toxic masculinity. Overall, this book was engaging and entertaining from start to finish, and since it ends on a pretty epic cliffhanger, I cannot wait for the second book. Lucky us, it is due out in early September, so you shan’t suffer for long!

Bottom Line: An incredible premise that was equally well executed, I loved it and cannot wait for the next installment!

Have you read any of these books? Plan to? Let us chat about them!  

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