Most Anticipated Releases Tuesday August 18, 2026

 

Here's What I'm anticipating for this week.

Immortal Rose by Alexandra Bracken

I have a copy of this one but haven't had a chance to get to it yet. I'm so behind in my reviews. But this is next on the list.

How about you?

Fat Stack Friday August 14, 2026

Here's what I got this week. Lots of goodies!

Kindle:

See You At the Sunset by Susan Lee

I've heard great things about this author. I have one of her other books but have not gotten to it yet. Hoping to read both soon.

A Thousand Little Goodbyes by Lucy Gilmore

I love Lucy Gilmore and was hoping to get this one early for review but my request just sat there so I withdrew it and got a copy for my Kindle. I have also put myself on the hold list for the audio at the library.

The Getaway By Kieran Scott

This was an Amazon First Read that comes out in September. I've enjoyed this author's books in the past, and under her pseudonym. Plus, she lives locally to me so I love supporting her.

The Spider Silk Scarf by Ana Reyes

Another Amazon First Read, this one a short story. I will slip this in for a change of pace at some point soon. It publishes September 1st.

NetGalley/Edelweiss/Booktrovert:

The Unfamiliar by Mara Rutherford

This was a read now. I had been eyeing it up but wasn't sure if I wanted it. I love the blurb, though, so hopefully it's good.

Fighter by KJ Morgan

Another read now. This one about an MMA fighter. Haven't read any books from that sport yet so I hope this one gives some MMA information as it goes, as well.

Still Falling for You by Isabelle Engel

Another read now. Yes, those will probably kill me. I'm already behind in reviewing which is driving me nuts but why not add more? LOL!

The Perfect Match by Lyla Mars

This one was suggested by NetGalley and was a read now. I love a good dystopian so I hope it has merritt. Looks like it's a re-release or the author was picked up by a traditional publisher.

Always One More Time by Nicola Yoon

I've really enjoyed Yoon's books in the past. I remember reading one in under 24 hours. I hope this one has me speeding through, as well.

Mail: 

Drowning in Paper Flowers by E.L. Westbury

I have not idea why I got this one. it just showed up in the mail. Maybe I won some kind of contest? I thought Goodreads but that's not it. This was published in 2024, so not an early read, either. Maybe they made a mistake in who they sent it to. Who knows.

Building 903 by Lois Lowry

I'm excited for this one! I really enjoyed The Giver. Hoping this one has just as good of an effect on me!

Little Free Library:

Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Grabbed this one because I've seen it around. Then got home and realized I already have it in hard cover. So I'll be donating it back to another LFL.

Alex & Eliza: A Love Story by Melissa De La Cruz

I'm skeptical of this. I've had some not so good reads by this author. But this really looks intriguing so I took it. If I don't like it, I'll donate it back.

The Burning Side by Sarah Damoff

I've seen this all around my book groups with good reviews. Hoping it works for me.

The Wife Before by Shanora Williams

Another one I've seen floating around my book groups. The premise sounds interesting.

Libby/Hoopla:

When it rains, it pours. I had so many holds come through at once. Glad they are all 21 days and hoping I can get through them.

Slaying the Vampire Conqueror by Carissa Broadbent

I have a hard copy of this but I'm having trouble getting to it and I want to continue on with this series so audio was the next best thing.

The Lunatics by Navessa Allen

I've enjoyed this author's other series. Looks like this might be a re-release. The cover definitely changed.

What did you get?

 

ARC Review: The Poison Daughter by Shelia Masterson

 

To err is human. To avenge is Divine.
Every person Harlow Carrenwell kisses dies immediately, and that’s the way she likes it. The poison-lipped youngest daughter of Lunameade’s magical founding family has used her power to annihilate their opposition.

Her first husband is in the ground. Her new betrothed is next.

But the merry widow has a secret. When she’s not acting as an assassin at her parents' whims, she moonlights as a vigilante for abused women in their walled-off city.

Meet a man. Lure him in. Kill him with a kiss. Until one night Harlow kisses a mark and he doesn’t die.

Worse, her invincible partner in passion is her new betrothed, Henry Havenwood, and now he knows about her double life. Instead of selling her out and bringing the rival families to blows, he does something much more sinister—whisks her away to wed in his wild mountain fort.

Harlow doesn’t trust Henry, but the only way to protect her family and the city of Lunameade is to figure out what his family is planning.

Cursed with a husband she can’t kill and trapped in a fort miles of vampire-infested woods from home, Harlow’s survival requires her to do the impossible: Make the man who knows she’s a killer fall in love with her anyway.

The Poison Daughter is a standalone dark fantasy romance that combines the vigilante justice for abusive men of Promising Young Woman with a romantasy arranged marriage and a dash of vampires.

Title: The Poison Daughter

Author: Sheila Masterson

Publisher: Zando/Slowburn

Expected Publication Date: July 18, 2026

Review:

Thank you to NetGalley and Zando/Slowburn for providing me with a copy of this title to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I will say I'm guilty of judging a book by it's cover and only wanted this originally because, hello, GORGEOUS cover! And then I read the blurb and just knew I had to read it. A girl who can poison with her lips or touch, yes please! An enemies to lovers romance? BRING IT ON!

At the start, I thought I actually  may end up DNFing this book, which made me sad given my excitement for it. The pacing was super slow and I just didn't think I had it in me to read a 600+ page book at that pace. Plus, the characters did not appear to be their stated ages, and I could not understand the motivations behind what was going on. This lasted for the first 30% or so and then, suddenly, it took off and I was totally invested. I still had a few issues with what appeared to be plot holes but they made total sense when I finally finished the title.

The character development in this one was one of the things I was worried about. I wasn't loving the FMC. She seemed a bit whiny and definitely didn't come across to me as a 30 year old woman who had been married before. But I liked her moxie and eventually realized she was so broken from trauma, it made sense she seemed young at the beginning of the book. But over the course of learning about the story, I started to like her. And I started to see why she was the way she presented to be. I was definitely routing for her by the time I was invested in the story. She had a Robin Hood quality to her, and I love a good Robin Hood! The MMC was developed a little better for me. I believed his age. He had a lot of secrets which were revealed much later in the book. I liked that he was a bit mysterious and we had to wait for his story. I liked that there was so much more underneath what he allowed his enemies to see. 

The chemistry between these two was definitely off the charts. There's this base attraction they have. Just total lust to begin with. But then I watched them open up to each other. Give each other their stories that made them start to actually fall for each other, even though their marriage was supposed to be one of convenience. Though the whole reasoning for this marriage was not 100% understandable for me. Their union seems to be rooted in finding out as much about the other as they can in order to use it against them. But I don't see the political reasoning for it and I think this was an important part of the story. 

The world building was really interesting. I absolutely enjoyed the magic system, though I wish there was more history to it. I also liked the magic that is mixed with these supernatural creatures who seem almost vampiristic. I do wish there was more interaction with the Drained so we could see just how perilous the situation was. There is a ton of betrayal in this book. And if you have trigger warnings for abuse or rough sex, you definitely need to watch yourself when reading this. The sex scenes were very intense to the point they might feel a bit gross to some. At first I wasn't a huge fan, but then I realized the way it is written really is to show the dark parts of the characters.

Masterson's writing is easy to read and flows well. Despite there being some repetition in the first 30%, I am glad I pushed through.

I was happy to see it wrap up well. There were times I was thinking this was leaning towards being a series. And I could see how that would work well for this had the author chose to do it that way. But it does wrap up at the end leaving nothing to question and no room for me to ask when the next book might be coming out.

If you're looking for a romantasy, this absolutely fits that bill. There's danger, political structure, magic, betrayal, deadly creatures, and an enemies to lovers story that really is just what it seems to be. I'll definitely be looking into Masterson's other books.

Author:

Sheila Masterson is the USA Today Bestselling author of The Poison Daughter, a dark enemies to lovers romantasy standalone about a vigilante who uses her poison kiss to take revenge on abusive men in her community, until she's unwittingly thrust into an arranged marriage with the only man immune to her magic.

Her other works include the gothic fairy tale fantasy romance, Song of the Dark Wood, the angsty epic romantasy quartet, The Lost God Series, as well as its next-generation standalone spinoff, A Legacy of Stars.

When Sheila's not busy stabbing beloved side characters and dreaming up new ways to make her readers cry, you can find her browsing the shelves at local indie bookstores, drinking fancy cocktails with friends, or curled up reading books and tarot. She lives outside Philadelphia with a small army of underwatered houseplants that survive out of spite.

Most Anticipated Releases Tuesday August 11, 2026

 

These are the books I'm looking forward to this week.

Dreamland by Olivie Blake

I like Blake's writing. It's a little quirky but her stories are always interesting.

World's Okayest Oracle (Reluctantly) Seeks Demon (Supernatural Entanglements #2) by Olivia Dade

I enjoyed the first book in this series. I'm not sure why I didn't request this one. Looking forward to reading it.

What about you?

Fat Stack Friday August 7, 2026

 

This is what I got this week. It was a busy book week for me!

In the Mail:

My dad had some American Express points so he got me a few books and then I bought a few for myself. I also got paperback copies of the other two Laurie Gilmore books in the series above but I forgot to take pictures of them.

NetGalley/Edelweiss/Booktrovert:

'Til Undeath Do Us Part by Ellie Palmer

I really love Ellie Palmer and I'm excited to see her jump into a little dark romance!

Enemies to Lawyers the Letizia Lorini

Love a good enemies to lovers book and the cover on this is so cute!

Not Your Typical Love Story by C.R. Averett

This was read now in the YA section and it looks cute! Haven't read this author before.

Murmuration by TJ Klune

Almost fell over when I saw this come through because Tor never approves me even though I keep trying! Someone told me to go play the lottery! LOL!

Wild Wicked Mate by Laurie Gilmore

I have the first re-release of this one to read so requested the second and got approved. I can't wait to jump in as I love Gilmore!

Libby/Hoopla:

The Whispering Dark by Kelly Andrew

I love Andrew's books so I'm going back to read the first two I haven't read yet. If you like Leigh Bardugo or VE Schwab, you'll enjoy Andrew's books!

Witcha Gonna Do by Avery Flynn

I got invited to the blog tour for the third book in this series. I'm doing a spotlight right now but if I like this one, I'll grab the second one and then read the first one through the widget I was sent.

The Tiger in the Sack by Amy Award

I got an ARC of this one after it was released and have not gotten to it. So I grabbed the audio in the hopes I can get to it and do my review since it's late!

Adversary to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

Yes, I have the audio and Kindle version of this. I'm excited to see what this fourth installment brings!

Kindle:

Adversary to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

I got this before the audio came through from the library. Maybe I'll do an immersive read.

The Lion and the Deathless Dark by Carissa Broadbent

I'm very behind in this series. I need to catch up as I do love it.

Eyes Like Stars by Ashley Poston

I'll admit I got this purely because it's Poston. I'm not a huge Star Wars reader (though I love the movies). Le's see what I think!

What did you get?

ARC Review: How to Find Love in the Cereal Aisle by Alissa DeRogatis

 

From Cosmopolitan's Cosmo Reads imprint and the author of the smash hit Call It What You Want comes a fresh, charming romcom about the chaos of dating in your twenties, the ache of a brutal breakup, and the hilarious lengths one romance writer will go to get her spark back—including staging her own meet-cutes. Perfect for fans of Katherine Center and Emily Henry’s Beach Read.

If you can’t write a good meet-cute, maybe you need to live one first…

Ainsley Green writes happily-ever-afters for a rabid fanbase of hopeless romantics. In real life? Her boyfriend just broke up with her, her editor wanted a new book yesterday and she’s starting to wonder if love actually exists beyond the pages of her favorite novels.

So when Lucas, Ainsley’s best friend and biggest cheerleader, insists the best cure for writer’s block is real-life inspiration, she’s ready to try anything. Enter: the meet-cute plan, a mission to take her head out of her heartbreak and force meet-cutes IRL to spark some new ideas. But as failed missions bumping into strangers at the airport and spilling coffee on men at the cafe result in nothing but embarrassment and stained clothing, Ainsley begins to wonder if maybe the romance she’s been chasing already has a leading man.

Because the truth about falling in love? It never goes according to plan.

Equal parts heartbreak, humor, and hope, How to Find Love in the Cereal Aisle is a fresh, flirty send up of dating in the modern age and a reminder that love finds us when we stop performing and start living.

Title: How to Find Love in the Cereal Aisle

Author: Alissa DeRogatis

Publisher: Cosmo Reads

Publication Date: August 4, 2026

Review:

Thank you to Cosmo Reads and Edelweiss for providing me with a copy of this title to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

This is my first book by this author. I had seen her first book go around and everyone raved about the story (I'll have to get back to that one!). So I took a chance and this turned out to be a pretty fun read. I love books that tackle tropes and this one did just that. DeRogatis weaved so many romance tropes in and made the story quite fun with the Instagram posts and videos and all the comments we got to read.

Told from the perspective of Ainsley Green in a then and now format, we follow her journey as a romance author who has a wrench thrown at her when her long time relationship falls apart and she's left to pick up the pieces. Throughout the story, she is constantly reflecting on where things went wrong, how she will ever write romance again given her own heartache, and how she will move on to find her own true love.

Ainsley's character was relatable, well developed, and authentic. It was easy to see her grief related to her heartbreak as well as her anxiety over trying to get over it. When you've given your heart to someone and it falls apart, it's often not as easy to get over it as people would think, even months after. It haunts you and you find yourself thinking of that person and how your life would have been different if they were still in it or if they ever think of you at all. I know I will often ruminate on past loves and wonder just what happened to them and if they ever think of me.

I adored that she had Lucas as her cheerleader and best friend. He came with his own trauma but was such a golden retriever. I'm of the opinion that it is often truly hard to have friends of the opposite sex. Ultimately, there is always some attraction when you grow that close. What I didn't love was how their relationship developed into more. It didn't feel quite as authentic as I would have liked. I would have liked to see them building from the beginning but instead you don't really get a sense of them together until at least 60% into the book. No hint, nothing to show them coming together through their experiences.

I liked the idea of Ainsley setting up "meet-cutes" to try and find her flow for her third book. The posts she made and the comments she got were definitely my favorite part of this story. The posts were often a bit self-deprecating, but in a humorous way. And the comments and support Ainsley got from her followers often had me laughing out loud.

Where the book faltered for me was in the actual rumination. Yes, I understand those thoughts were the underlying trauma Ainsley had but there were so many times when they lingered and this often took me out of the story and slowed the pacing to a halt.

The then and now chapters really helped develop the characters and their relationships. It was interesting to watch the then chapters and have Ainsley realize where things truly went wrong. I think the alternating chapters are really what kept the book moving along for me. 

Overall, this story was fun and kept my interest despite some of the slowness of the chapters. I'll definitely keep DeRogatis on my radar for future reads.

Author:

Alissa DeRogatis is the author of the viral debut Call It What You Want and How to Find Love in the Cereal Aisle. She lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she writes stories about modern love, self- discovery, and the people who help us put ourselves back together. When she’s not reading, she’s rewatching her favorite rom- coms, curating sad-girl playlists, or hang- ing out with her dogs, Asher and Oliver.

Follow along with her on socials:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alissaderog...

TikTok:
https://www.tiktok.com/@alissaderogatis (less)

 

ARC Review: Survival Show (Survival Show #1) by Juno Dawson

 

American Idol meets The Hunger Games in this campy, dystopian satire about a teen betting her life that her singing talent can make her a star from the celebrated author of This Book Is Gay, Juno Dawson.

The world just seems to take and take from Taryn Beck, but there’s one thing it’ll never have: her voice. Only when she’s singing does Taryn feel like she can escape her reality—free from the aftermath of the War, free from the Scottish refugee camps where she and her family now live, and free from the responsibility of making ends meet for the sake of her sick brother.

Taryn’s voice is her one ticket out, and that’s why she enters to be a contestant on the world’s most watched television program: Starmaker, where kids from the New Peace Global Alliance compete for the chance to join an all-singing, all-dancing pop group. Rise to the top, and a life of luxury, stardom, and money awaits.

There’s only one small catch. The lowest ranking face a televised public execution. Starmaker thanks their participants for their noble sacrifice to Project Population.

Taryn’s about to sing for her life.

Title: Survival Show (Survival Show #1)

Author: Juno Dawson

Publisher: Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing/Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: August 4, 2026

Review:

Thank you to Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing/Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this title to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I didn't even read the blurb for this one before I requested it because it's Juno Dawson and I really have loved all the books I've read from her. Then I got approved and read the blurb and thought to myself, Hunger Games and American idol merged? I'm so glad I signed up. I was ready for all the gruesome fun and gory details.

This book, on it's own, is absolutely dystopian. Set in a future where lands have been washed away by the sea, countries have merged and/or been renamed, and most people are hurting just to stay afloat, we meet Taryn Beck. A girl with a fantastic voice who just wants her brother to be ok. She enters Starmaker, a TV show contest where contestants sing and dance their way to the top, or get eliminated, literally. All she wants is to win the whole thing so she can afford the medication her brother needs to survive. But things aren't always what they seem and there's a true sinister plot behind the show and Taryn is determined to bring them all down.

Things I enjoyed from this book:

The premise! I love the idea of an American Idol type show where contestants sing and dance to advance or get put to death. It definitely had a Hunger Games feel to it throughout. While I've read many books that have a Hunger Games type theme, I've not read anything this unique.

The character diversity! For the most part, I found the characters intriguing. I like that Dawson chose so many different people to represent for this story.

The politics! Of course a dystopian novel would not be dystopian without political intrigue and villains who want to always stay on top and keep the little man down. I definitely felt the cast system in this book.

Things that could have been better:

The characters themselves. I liked them enough, most were relatable. But for me they just were not fleshed out as well as they could have been. It was hard for me to keep them straight many times and then when I did remember who they were, there wasn't anything truly unique for most of them to make them stand out.

The progression of the story. I found the pacing off in this book, It wasn't that it was very slow, but there were parts where I felt like I had to push through and didn't feel like they really leant anything to the actual story line.

The world building. When I read a dystopian book, I have to know why it's dystopian. While we are told why to a certain degree, we are not ever shown why. It's like Dawson threw it at us and then said, "you'll just have to believe what I'm writing." I can usually suspend my disbelief and picture the world, but the details and the reasoning for the war that happened making the world the way it is now just wasn't clear to me at all. I struggled to understand why I would care about anything that was happening to Taryn or exactly how her family was in the position they were in due to events of the past. Plus, the timeline was a bit confusing to me. It seemed like this war was pretty recent, that Taryn remembers the time before it all. But she's only 17 and I had a hard time believing this was true.

The romance. Yep, could have done without this. Honestly, there was almost no point to it. And I didn't feel any of the chemistry or emotional attachment needed to really make what happens towards the end (I won't spoil it) even make a difference in Taryn's story. The whole tale could definitely had been told without ever having any romance at all.

Overall, this was a decent story, I found it fun but not amazing. This is my least favorite title I've read from this author (and Her Majesty's Royal Coven got 5 stars from me across the board for all the books). The pacing, world building, and overall character development of this book could have used a bit more tweaking for me. But if you're looking for a fun YA with high stakes and a good amount of drama, pick this one up!

Author:

Juno Dawson is a #1 Sunday Times best-selling novelist, screenwriter, podcaster, and a former columnist for Attitude Magazine. Juno’s books include the global bestsellers, THIS BOOK IS GAY and CLEAN. She won the 2020 YA Book Prize for MEAT MARKET. Her first adult fantasy trilogy HER MAJESTY’S ROYAL COVEN launched in 2022, becoming an instant best-seller.

She also writes for television and has multiple shows in development both in the UK and US. Her TV credits include DOCTOR WHO (2025) and THE BIRTH OF VENUS (2021). An occasional actress and model, Juno had a cameo in the BBC’s I MAY DESTROY YOU (2020), a recurring role in HOLBY CITY (BBC 2021) and was the face of Jecca Cosmetics Play Pots campaign.

With Dylan B Jones, Juno hosts the smash podcast SO I GOT TO THINKING, the UK’s biggest SEX AND THE CITY fan podcast with over two million streams to date.

Juno grew up in West Yorkshire, writing imaginary episodes of Doctor Who. She later turned her talent to journalism, interviewing luminaries such as Steps and Atomic Kitten, before writing a weekly serial in a Brighton newspaper. Her writing has appeared in Glamour, The Pool, Dazed and the Guardian. She has appeared on Pointless Celebrities, BBC Women’s Hour, Front Row, ITV News, Channel 5 News, This Morning and Newsnight.

Juno lives in Brighton. She is a part of the queer cabaret collective known as CLUB SILENCIO. In 2014, Juno became a School Role Model for the charity STONEWALL.