And we are back with another KU mini review post! Since this is part TEN (TEN??) I included X number of mini reviews rather than my usual five.
It is taking me a bit longer to compile these because I have been putting all the historicals I’ve been reading on KU in my
Another set of KU reviews! I like doing these posts because there are so many books on KU that it is so hard to figure out what is “good” and what isn’t. I know tastes are subjective and whatnot, but I’ve found that any KU recs are helpful in just figuring out what is on the platform. (As a note, things are constantly being taken off KU so these might not still be up at the time of you reading this).
Anyways, if you want to read my other KU reviews you can see them here: part one, part two, & part three, part four, part five, part six, part seven, part eight, & part nine.
Chick Magnet by Emma Barry
Plot: Nicole Jones has just ended a toxic relationship and needs a fresh start. She decides to move cross country with all her chickens to the small town that her grandma grew up in. Shortly after the move one of her chickens escapes which introduces her to her neighbor, Will Lund. Will is the local vet who is struggling to keep his practice open, with depression, and what people will think of his failure. After Will helps Nic out a few times they become friendly with each other and find they actually get the other. But neither has space in their life for a relationship.
Thoughts: I don’t like birds. And I don’t like chickens. So I only picked this one up because I had seen some positive reviews (Thank you B.AndHerBooks on Twitter) and I was mostly able to handle the chickens. They really do drive the entire plot as Nic is a YouTuber/Social Media person whose brand is chickens. I do love a social media personality and seeing Nic struggle with how she had lost a bit of herself and control of her content in her past relationship was a solid plot point.
ALSO. I have been annoyed that publishing people have been referring to literally every romance with an illustrated cover as a ROM COM and yet so many of those books are sad and depressing but this book IS A ROM COM and yet still discusses some serious issues, it just doesn’t get bogged down in the sad times. To be fair – the chickens do add some amusement. Any book that opens with a lost chicken and the characters having to find it (in the rain no less) it going to have some humor.
I really loved how Emma Barry handled Will’s failing vet practice. I don’t want to go into details how it resolves, but this book talks about failure and what that means to the people around you in such a soothing way.
I will say I didn’t like how many mentions COVID/the pandemic got in this book. Like I’m not ready for that yet. But, the pandemic is part of why Will’s vet practice is failing which does make sense, but like I didn’t need this to be the reason. I also didn’t entirely like the last third of the book, it just sort of lost some of the magic for me, but I don’t entirely remember why. 3.5/5 stars
TW: death of a grandparent (prior to novel), grief, depression, toxic ex partner,
CW: some weird dysfunctional family dynamics
As a disclaimer – Emma Barry follows me on social media, but all thoughts on both her books are my own. I’ve read four of her books this year and I AM NOT DONE YET!! See my thoughts on my fave of hers (so far) Earth Bound here. Her next release is Funny Guy which is a friends to lovers with a comedian which was a fun time and releases in May!
A Milky Way Home (Clover Hill Romance #6) by Hsinju Chen
Plot: Yen-Chen is just stopping by in Clover Hill to visit friends, but when he runs into Florence over and over again he realizes that maybe Clover Hill isn’t a pit stop to the rest of his life and instead is the desination.
Thoughts: Basically nothing happens in this novella and I was more than okay with that! It’s cute and cozy and features one of those small towns that is so queer friendly that you wish it was real. Yen-Chen is trans and asexual and Florence is also asexual (I think she is also bisexual, but I don’t remember if it is labeled) and all the side characters are queer. Plus the food descriptions will make you hungry and there is an adorable dog named Milk Puff. So support diverse books! Plus this one is a very short novella that is super sweet. I definitely need to read more from this series. 5/5 stars
Coming Home by Sawyer Cole Hobson
Plot: This is a memoir so plot isn’t the right word, but this is just essays about Sawyer’s life! They range from their childhood, identity (Hobson is trans nonbinary), to bookstagram, to falling in love.
Thoughts: This one came highly recommended by my friend Saadia (check out her IG) and other bookstagrammers. I really loved how accessible this memoir is. It tackles challenging topics and hard times in the author’s life, but the writing is easy to digest and follow.
What’s cool is this is self published so Sawyer is just a regular person who has faced challenges and it was nice to read a book about someone who isn’t famous and about they life experiences.
I didn’t write down trigger warnings while reading this, but please look them up if you have specific triggers related to mental health, gender identity, and suicide.
The Worst Guy (Vital Signs #2) by Kate Canterbary
Plot: After a “heated debate” Sebastian and Sara are forced to attend conflict resolution training together.
Thoughts: This was my favorite of last month and I wrote bit about me DNFing it last year and then loving it when I gave it a second go. I rarely do this, but I adored In a Jam by her and a few friends had good things to say about this one and well. I adored it. I didn’t want it to end and I loved seeing them fall in love and deciding to be together. It’s enemies to lovers, a workplace romance, and grumpy sunshine, but honestly it is so much more than the tropes.
Sara’s journey as a recovering people pleaser/disordered eater was so heartwarming and powerful to read. Even though she is mostly recovered, these are things that impact her (and people) for their entire life and I really appreciated how Canterbary handled it.
This is the only thing I highlighted from this book bc it took me out “I reread the entire Chronicles of Narnia series because what the fuck else was I going to do?” (pg. 307) 4.5/5 stars
TW: history of disordered eating, toxic parental figures, minor medical mentions (they are doctors), chronic illness/migraines
The Guy For Me by Marzy Opal
Plot: Liam and Mabel have been friends via text for a few year.They are *finally* both going to be at the same school and want to confess their feelings. But, they are both worried how the other will respond.
Thoughts: Y’all know friends to lovers in not my jam and this one didn’t work for me. It’s a novella so I didn’t DNF, but ooof it had been a full length novel I would’ve. I liked the pen pal element, but once they met it I didn’t like their vibe. I also really did not like Opal’s writing and I don’t see myself reading another one of her books. 2/5 stars
Do you have any KU recs for me?
xoxo, Tree
Words About Words 