The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata

The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.5 Stars

I picked this up a few days ago and immediately put it back down. I was not sure if I was going to finish it, but I am glad I did.

There were some things I loved about this and some I hated. I loved the banter and build up over the relationship. I hated hearing “big guy” over and over again. It was annoying me soooo bad.

When they say slow burn, they mean it. You only get the couple actually together around 90% into the story.

Overall, super cute read but way too long for what it was.

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My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell

My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I went into this blind without really knowing what this was even about. This is not going to end up being for everyone, but it is an important read. It is a powerful story around the impact and hold a predator can have on his victim.

The author grabs your attention and does not let you go. This was almost 400 pages and I still read it in less than a day. The story is between a young girl and her teacher. You really get to see how he grooms her and manipulates her on so many different levels. Your heart will break when hearing how she was feeling in certain moments but then questioning why she would feel negatively around something "she was allowing."

Very powerful story. I loved it.

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Julia Monroe Begins Again by Rebekah Millet

Julia Monroe Begins Again by Rebekah Millet


I was sent a copy of this book from a publisher/publicity team/giveaway. My ratings and reviews will be my own personal opinions and are in no way influenced by publishers or authors who may have sent me books to review.

This sounded super cute, but I just had a hard time getting into it. I had the physical copy and I also found the audio at my library, so I tried that as well. This one was just not for me. I picked it up several times and just never went back to it.

Overall, this was a Did not Finish for me.

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The Graham Effect by Elle Kennedy

The Graham Effect by Elle Kennedy
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Off-Campus and Briar U series are some of my absolute favorites! When I heard about this new series, I was so excited!!!

First off, I loved hearing about some of the old cast members. You hear the names of all of the old guys, but this is not about them. Do not expect much more than that. I was not mad at all around this part though. It was fun just trying to remember everything from the older books/characters.

My issue was this was just too long. I found myself bored most of the time. I felt Gigi was so immature around her previous relationship and hiding it from him for so long. It ended up not even being as big of a deal as you are lead it to be. I also did not love the ending. It felt rushed and came out of nowhere. It also did not bring anything to the story for me. I just did not feel the characters were at that level yet. I know there are some time jumps towards the end, and maybe if that was flushed out a little more, the ending would be more believable.

Overall, this one was just ok but I expected more joining two perfect worlds together.

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When Ashes Fall by Marni Mann

When Ashes Fall by Marni Mann
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is my first Marni Mann read! She is an author that has been on my TBR for years. I also did not know where to start, but I saw so many recommendations for this series so I was excited to see what it was about. I went in blind.

Triggers for mental health, loss, mass trauma, and substance abuse.

I really liked this. I do feel some tropes were thrown in and they were just not needed. The substance abuse with the characters Mom was not flushed out and just thrown in. I thought it was going to set up for another emotional moment and it went nowhere. I do not think it was needed.

I just wanted more. It was sad, but not cry my eyes out sad since you knew what was happening for the most part.

We get a lot more around the past relationship and I wanted more around the current.

Overall, this was a good read but I was expecting a little more.

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The Woman in Me by Britney Spears

The Woman in Me by Britney Spears
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was and still am a Britney fan. I went into this not knowing if this was really Britney telling her story or someone else for a money grab. I think it was a mixture of both.

Britney does not narrate the audiobook. I know most people do when they have a memoir. She does start off the book saying it was traumatic for her and does read a page or two. Then it moves on to someone else. I do wish we heard the whole story from her though, but the narrator did a great job bringing the emotion to her story.

Most of the information was already leaked or a promotion prior to the book being released. You do learn a little more around how Britney was feeling during some events which was nice. I think she does a good job trying to describe the grief and heartache she was facing with all the custody issues with her boys. It makes your heart break even more for her. Even though we have seen documentaries, this will still also make you mad around the paparazzi and the lengths they will go to for a moment/picture.

The conservatorship parts were heartbreaking. Britney was in a cage. It is all so disgusting what they did to her. This is where we learn more than we previously knew. These parts made me want to cry.

Overall, I think she did a great job bringing her feelings into everything about her life. Looking back, I think we all forget how young Britney was when all this happened and continues to happen. Was this the most mind blowing read? No! But I am glad that I read it and glad she is being able to tell her OWN story.

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