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)

 

Fat Stack Friday July 24, 2026

 

Check out my goodies from this week!

Kindle:

Every Version of You by Natalie Messier

I heard good things about this one so I grabbed it to give it a try.

Love You More by Emily Giffin

This one was popular with my NetGalley crowd but I was worried about grabbing an author I didn't know so I waited on it.

A Christmas of Chaos (Hades X Persephone #7.5) by Scarlett St. Clair

Love this world and I didn't even know this existed. Wish I could get it on audio!

NetGalley/Edelweiss/Booktrovert:

Atral Alignment by Randall Sharpe

Won this on Booktrovert. Don't really know what it's about!

Avan Enters the Group Chap by Emma St. Clair

I requested this and was approved in about 10 minutes! I'm so excited because I really loved the last book I read by this author.

Empire (Heir Duology #2) by Sabaa Tahir 

Loved the first book in this series and I was excited to be approved on Edelweiss as I don't get many books on there.

Lost and Found by Tarah Deweitt

I have this on Kindle but I love to do immersive reads! I will start this one today!

Make Me Hate You by Kandi Steiner

I recently read Love Overboard by this author and enjoyed it. This one looks like a kindle book but it's actually audio.

Rabbit Rabbit by Jennifer E. Smith

This author is hit or miss for me with her adult books but I enjoyed the last one so I figured why not?

Save a Horse by Jen Doyle

This one was recommended to me by the publisher and it looks cute. I love a cowboy romance!

The View from Here by Kasie West

I love me some West! I've only read one book by her I wasn't thrilled with so I hope this one doesn't go in that pile.

The Wretched Divine (The Wretched Divine #1) by Adalyn Grace

Haven't read this author yet but see people posting a lot about her books.

In the Mail:

My FairyLoot sub came yesterday. I actually meant to skip this one but kind of happy I didn't because of the Sophie Kim book. I had an early copy of the other book and, while this version is pretty, I actually DNF'd it. So I might put this one up for grabs on one of the sell sites!

What did you get:

ARC Review: Summer People by Sally Blakely

 

After graduating college, five friends make a pact. Every summer, they’ll meet for one week at the same beach house on the California coast to relive the golden days of college. There’s just one no dating within the group.

Simple enough, except Everett and Sutton already broke the rule before summer even began… and couldn’t seem to stop. What started as a one-time fling turned into an annual habit neither of them could quit, until the night everything fell apart.

Five years later, Sutton has no interest in seeing Everett ever again. Until one of their friends, newly divorced and looking for an escape, calls everyone back to the beach house. She expects awkward silences and forced smiles, but nothing could prepare her for Everett--still infuriating, still magnetic, and still capable of unraveling her with a single glance.

As the week stretches on and every re-lived tradition, shared meal and outing bring a flood of sun-soaked memories that feed the spark between her and Everett, Sutton begins to wonder if the promise that broke them apart was worth keeping in the first place… and if breaking it again will ruin the delicate balance their friend group has finally started to reclaim.

Title: Summer People 

Author: Sally Blakely

Publisher: MIRA

Expected Publication Date: July 7, 2026

Review:

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

I really enjoyed Blakely's debut title. I was excited when I saw she had another book coming out. And the blurb just caught my eye and made me really want to read it. I was so hopeful this would hit as the first one did but it did not. And, while I enjoyed it enough, it actually felt like a totally different author wrote it.

I love the idea of a romance that spans years. The push and pull of such a thing, like When Harry Met Sally. It's so easy to make it work. But this one just felt kind of meh for me. The FMC, Sutton Hale, tells us the story as she and her friends meet every Summer after graduation to celebrate their friendship, and the pact they made to never get involved with each other. But Sutton and their friend Everett hold a secret. They met during their last year of college and had a one night stand. Once the pact is in place, neither feels they can every say anything to their friends for fear of disrupting a good thing. But all those feelings build and build until one day they come to a head.

I enjoyed the dual time line in this book. The flashback chapters gave good background to the relationships this group has built together over the years. The build up to the rip in their group that happens takes a long time, though. For this reason the book dragged for me. Don't get me wrong, I love a good build up, but it just kept getting mentioned so much in the present to take so long to reveal it in the past. It made the writing seem flat.

The characters were likable enough but didn't stand out as anything special for me. All of them with their past drama causing some kind of emotional stilt in their lives. It was too easy and didn't give the characters enough depth for me. Everyone afraid of love or seeking it so much as if it's the only thing there is. Sutton and Everett have the most growth and development while the other three in the group were just kind of bland. I didn't find them to be anything special. But overall all the characters were a bit flat.

There is a lot of build up to why Sutton and Everett hate each other in the present. I thought for sure it would be this huge reveal. Something that was just unforgivable that they would need to work through with a ton of emotion. What I got wasn't that at all. The conflict didn't seem like something that would have caused so much enmity between them.

This one had a lot of promise, but the emotional punch just didn't hit as I thought it would. I did enjoy Bakley's writing and I am looking forward to what she will give us in the future.

3.5/5 stars

Author:

Sally Blakely studied theatre, media arts, English, and education at The University of Montana. When she's not writing, she's reading, or making far too many playlists. She lives in Montana with her husband.

ARC Review: Bad Boy Era (Matchmaker Mountain Men #4) by Amy Daws

 

Rule #1 on the Everly Fletcher Matchmaking Manifesto…Never fall for your best friend’s grumpy brother.

Everly is the matchmaking mastermind of her family, but her own love life is a bit of a flop.

Back from four years in Dublin, she’s ready for a quiet summer on Fletcher Mountain helping launch her aunt’s animal rescue center—until Conri “Wolf” Reilly shows up.

Wolf is her college roommate’s infuriating twin brother. He’s brooding, Irish, and college rugby’s resident bad boy with thighs that could crack a watermelon.

His red card reputation has trashed his rugby prospects…until a training camp in Denver comes calling. As a favor, Everly reluctantly gets Wolf a place to stay if he volunteers at the rescue center.

Now Everly’s finds herself working and living next door to the Irish tattooed grump who treats her like a nuisance—but looks at her like he could press her up against a hay bale until they forget their own names.

Wolf swore he came to America to fix his image, not fall for his sister’s best friend, but the more time he spends with Everly, the harder it is to keep his distance.

Perhaps Everly’s in her bad boy era…or maybe Fletcher Mountain might has its own matchmaking plans.

Perfect for fans of:
• Grumpy x Sunshine
• Small Town Romance
• Irish Rugby Players
• Overprotective family
• Meghan Quinn and Tessa Bailey

Title: Bad Boy Era (Matchmaker Mountain Man #4)

Author: Amy Daws

Publisher: MIRA

Expected Publication Date: May 26, 2026

Review:

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

I was really excited to read the final installment in this series. Everly's story was what I was waiting for. I needed to see how the match maker met her match! I didn't want to say goodbye to the Fletcher family but I also needed to see how it all wrapped up! And it did not disappoint.

Everly graduates from Trinity in Ireland and moves home to help her family and their animal rescue. What she's not expecting is for her best friend's brother, Conri "Wolf," Reilly to end up at her family's mountain. The big Rugby player who needs to prove himself so he can get recruited by a team in Ireland and live his dream. 

This book was so much fun. I loved having Everly's POV as one of the main characters since she has been a side character in all the other stories. It was fun to watch her change and grow. To see her true personality. To see that, while she's a great match maker, she's not so good at love herself. She puts everyone else before herself, often times to her detriment. 

Enter Wolf with his big brutish self. Never one to let himself get too close to anyone, except Everly. He has a secret (not going to tell you what it is) that has him pining after Everly in a big way. But his plan keeps him from wanting to make any serious commitments. Yet he finds himself drawn to Everly, unable to stay outside her orbit, or interfere when she needs someone to protect her. He's definitely the grump in this relationship but he really does have a soft side that comes out.

Did I mention how great the side characters are in these books. They are interconnected stand alones. Can you read this one on it's own? You could. But you'd be missing the build up to all the great relationships. I didn't read the first series that lead to this one and I'm totally disappointed not to have that background. So I highly recommend reading them all in order so you can see how the characters build, now their relationships build, and all the outcomes that happen leading to this final book.

Daws has great pacing with this one. I really didn't ever want to put it down. And the plot was fun. It revolves around the FMC and MMC growing and changing and coming into themselves. And the biggest theme is you are the most important thing to you. If you cannot be happy as you, you cannot make others around you happy, no matter how hard you try. 

This whole series is so much fun. Light on the drama and wholly full of love. I highly recommend these if you want fun and fluffy romance that guarantees you lots of HEA!

Author:

Number 1 Amazon Bestselling author Amy Daws writes spicy love stories that take place in America, as well as across the pond. She's most known for her footy-playing Harris Brothers and writing in a tire shop waiting room. When Amy is not writing, she’s likely making charcuterie boards from her home in South Dakota where she lives with her daughter and husband.

For more of Amy's work, visit: http://www.amydawsauthor.com

Or follow her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/amydawsauthor
Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/amydawsauthor
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https://www.tiktok.com/@amydawsauthor
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http://www.amydawsauthor.com/newsletter

ARC Review: Too Fast to Fall (Fast Track #2) by Karen Booth

 

So what if she’s crushing on a race car driver? That doesn’t mean it’s love at first lap.
But maybe it’s love at first lap dog? 
 
Yesterday, Piper Murphy was just another dog sitter helping her sister with wedding prep while pretending she’s over her own broken engagement.
 
Today, she’s the fill-in dog sitter for Formula One driver Emilio Baquero. Brooding, gorgeous driver + naughty, cute Lab? Woof, down boy.   
 
When Emilio offers her a five-week gig as his live-in dog nanny in London, Piper can’t help but say yes. It’s out of her comfort zone, sure, but it’s also a ticket to travel, racing, and caring for a dog she already adores. All while escaping the wedding planning that’s put her failures front and center.
 
Only being under the same roof means there’s no escaping Emilio’s intensity, or grumpiness. Piper tries to be a sunny presence, but their clashes just fuel the slow-burn tension to something near combustible.
 
Because falling for your boss is risky when you have a broken heart. Falling for your famous boss and his adorable dog? That’s a crash waiting to happen.

Too Fast to Fall is part of the Fast Track series from Karen Booth. Don't miss the first book, Not So Fast. 

Title: To. Fast to Fall 

Author: Karen Booth

Publisher: Harlequin/Harlequin Audio

Expected Publication date: May 16, 2026

Review:

Thank you to Harlequin Audio, Afterglow By Harlequin, NetGalley, and Edelweiss for providing me with an e-copy and audio copy of this title to read and review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I read Booth's first book in this series last year and really enjoyed it. I was excited to be able to read this next installment. There are some cross over characters in this book but it can definitely be read as a stand alone if you're ok with having some relationships spoiled.

I loved that Booth chose to add the POV of Gus, the dog, to this book. His chapters were so fun. He stole my heart from the get go. Overall I'm a big fan of dual POV for a romance. I love to see how each character thinks and perceives what is going on.

Piper and Emilio were perfect grumpy sunshine. Piper has great energy and you can see she loves animals and what she does as a job. Emilio and his cranky personality was jarring at first. But you quickly learn that emotionally he is going through a lot. His life was turned upside down by an event out of his hands. Something that forced him from his prime spot in F1 to dropping way down in the driver ranks. Piper was his perfect match. She slowly rubs off on him and makes him open up and realize his life was what he made it. That he had everything he needed to succeed and just had to believe in himself.

Booth did a great job with the romance in this one. The chemistry builds. Yes, Piper already kind of had a crush on Emilio to begin with; who doesn't love F1 drivers. But then she gets to know him and sees so much more than what he reveals pubicly.

Booth also does a nice job with the F1 content. It's just enough to win over my F1 loving heart but not so much that it interferes with the character building and growth, the way the characters connect, or the romance. 

It was nice to see characters from the first book, as well.

Overall, this story is sweet and cozy with low spice. There were some areas where I had to suspend my disbelief but it was ok because I know it's fiction and it was so much fun. I'm hoping Booth gives us the story of other characters I fell in love with!

Author:

Karen Booth is a Midwestern girl transplanted in the South, raised on 80s music and repeated readings of Forever by Judy Blume. She writes steamy contemporary romance and women's fiction. When she isn't creating fictional hunky men and the women who test them, she's listening to music with her kids, honing her Southern cooking skills or sweet-talking her astoundingly supportive husband into whipping up a batch of cocktails.

ARC Review: The Thorn Queen (The Rose Bargain #2) by Sasha Petyon Smith

 

Wed to one brother.
In love with the other.

Bridgerton, The Selection, and The Cruel Prince collide in this Victorian-inspired romantasy; the sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller The Rose Bargain.

This limited collector’s edition features an exclusive alternate jacket, gilded holographic edges, an intricately foiled case design, and never-before-seen bonus content.

Having won the hand of the faerie King Bram, Ivy is now Queen of England.

But with his ascension to the throne, Bram unleashed the fae into the human world. After hundreds of years of being kept from their favorite playthings, the Others are looking to make up for lost time—and they do, with wicked revelry that sweeps through the country.

To survive, Ivy acts the sweet, devoted wife. Behind the smile, she plots to banish her husband, save her sister Lydia, and reunite with the love of her life, Emmett.

Yet Emmet and Lydia are trapped in the Otherworld, where fae games are deadlier than ever—and a queen must play most viciously of all. Or see herself dethroned.

Forbidden romance, deceptive bargains, and lethal court intrigue intertwine in this mesmerizing, fae romantasy sequel that will captivate fans of Once Upon a Broken Heart and Belladonna.

Title: The Thorn Queen (The Rose Bargain #2)

Author: Sasha Peyton Smith

Publisher: Harper Collins

Release Date: April 14, 2026

Review:

Thank you to Harper Collins Children's Books, Net Galley, 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.

I will be honest and say I didn't expect much from this book. I liked the first book well enough but felt like it had a lot of holes in the plot and the different POVs thrown in often took me out of the story. So I went into this one hoping for something better and Smith delivered very well!

If you didn't read the first book in this duology, stop here as there may be some spoilers. Plus you would never understand this part of the story without that book. But if you did read and want to know what I think, read on!

This story picks up right where the first book left off. Ivy is married to Bram and they are ruling England. We know Emmet and Lydia are lost to Ivy (the first chapter shows us that with Emmet's POV of where he is being held). Queen Mor is locked up in England and Bram is still up to his old tricks with parties and being generally unkind to humans. His plan, to rule England and the Otherworld no matter the cost.

It's so hard to review a sequel in a series without giving things away. I don't want to spoil anything but lets just say Smith does a great job with the narration from Ivy. She is keeping Bram sated enough but longs to be done with him. She tries her hardest to rule England and make good decisions but it's hard when you have Bram's court to contend with. All they want to do is reek havoc which is slowly turning England unrecognizable to Ivy.

This book, like the first, still gives off those Bridgerton vibes. It's not quite the same but you can see the influence of that series throughout this story. I love the regency error so much. And Smith makes it just as fun as you think it would be. 

This book is full of action and mystery and suspense. It kept me turning pages from start to finish. This time around I really enjoyed the chapters from outside of Ivy's point of view. Especially Emmet's chapters because I loved being in his head. I kind of wish we would have had some chapters from the villainous side, to be honest. I think that would have made the story even more compelling.

Bram is just as crazy in this book as he was in the last one. I truly thought there were times when he would turn a corner and redeem himself but, alas, that just was not in the cards for him. Nor should it have been, if I'm being honest. But I've definitely known authors to change my mind about villains in the past so I would not have put it past Smith to try and do so.

The book explores more deeply the connection between the sisters. Lydia has so much more depth in this book. We truly get to know her on a deeper level than the first book where I almost feel like Smith purposefully painted her as obtuse so she could deep dive in this one. Plus, Lydia is in a position of power in this book, so it makes sense we see more of her and how she fits into that world.

If you're looking for a book where Ivy and Emmett find each other right away and fight the evil, well, you kind of get that but you don't. There is a slow burn to their relationship in this book for reasons I cannot say without spoiling a huge part of the plot. Suffice it to say, set your expectations low for tons of romance. This book definitely took a deep dive into the politics of the courts and how decisions were made.

So, why didn't I give this one 5 stars? I am still not 100% understanding the magic presented in this series or how the humans come to have any of it. It was hard for me to see how that was laid out.

Overall, Smith does a nice job wrapping up the series with this book. Relationships are strained and become more complex, evil reeks it's havoc, banter is BANTERED, and, finally, questions you may have had after book one are answered. I'm really quite happy I gave this one a chance seeing as the first one didn't grab me as much as I would have liked. Now that I am done with this, I'm tempted to go back and re-read it all just to see if things make more sense to me in book 1 having the knowledge of what happens in book 2. I'm definitely a fan of Smith and her writing and I'm looking forward to what she'll bring to us next!

Author:

Sasha Peyton Smith is the New York Times best selling author of The Witch Haven and The Witch Hunt. She’s passionate about well-curated road trip playlists, soup recipes, and stories about complicated girls. Originally from Utah, she now lives in Washington D.C. with her partner and collection of porcelain hands.

ARC Review: Infinite Shores (Drowned Gods #3) by Pascale Lacelle

 

Ninth House meets The Hazel Wood in this spellbinding conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Drowned Gods Trilogy, a gorgeous dark academia fantasy following a teen mage and her friends on their desperate quest through worlds and time!

Fate cannot be broken—not even by the gods who serve it.

Emory refuses to lose Romie again. Her friend’s fate hangs in the balance as the monstrous Clover plans to use her as a sacrifice to steal power from the deity Atheia—and make himself into a proper god. To stop Clover, Emory needs the help of Atheia’s dark counterpart, Sidraeus. Yet this enigmatic deity cannot be trusted, and if Emory is to ally with him, she must invoke an ancient magic to keep him tethered to her side.

Meanwhile, in the divine workshop of the god of balance, Baz learns he has a role to play in the coming fight to save the crumbling worlds and their weakening magics. Yet all he can think of is Kai and the gruesome fate that awaits him at Clover’s side—a fate, the god tells him, that is beyond even his reach. But Baz is determined to save Kai, even if he has to rewrite time itself.

As chaos reigns and the tides of a corrupted magic threaten to consume all, Emory and Baz must contend with mercurial gods, vengeful deities, and those hell-bent on eradicating Eclipse magic to save the people they love—and write an ending to their stories that defies fate itself.

Title: Infinite Shores (Drowned Gods #3)

Author: Pascale Lacelle

Publisher: Simon and Schuster/Margaret K. McElderry Books

Publication Date: April 7. 2026

Review:

Thank you to Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing/Margaret K. Mclderry Books 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.

In all honesty, it's so hard to write a review of the third book in a trilogy. Mostly because I don't want to spoil anything for anyone who might stumble upon the review without having read the other books. I've been rather obsessed with this series since I read an early copy of the first book sent to me by the publisher. I will admit, it took me a while to crack that one open. I wasn't a huge fan of the cover (yes, I do judge books that way) and thought I wouldn't like it. Boy was I SO SO WRONG! This trilogy is one I will always recommend. Lacelle's writing is lush and expansive. Not only do you feel the emotions of her characters but you find yourself right next to them, experiencing their world as if you are a passenger on their journey. I wish I could probably explain how engrossed I became in this world. How if surrounded me, sucked me right in and brought me along for the ride. But I can only tell you how Lacelle makes you feel as if you are truly part of each character's journey.

As with the other books, this installment is told in alternating POVs from four different characters. While often times such story telling can get me confused, that was not the case with this series. Lacelle made each of her characters truly unique with personalities it was easy to distinguish from one another. And, while there are villains in this story, you still come to love all the characters for who they are and what they represent.

I can truly say I didn't want this series to end. I actually drew out reading this last book because of that. I knew once it was over I would not even know where to begin with my review. And here I sit, still floundering and trying to figure out what words will truly help others understand how special this story truly is. The range of emotions I endured throughout the series, but especially with this last book is hard to put into words. I laughed at so many parts while I cried hard at others. And still felt the tenderness in sone scenes and the fear where Lacelle surly needed me to feel it. This is the type of series that makes my chest ache: sometimes in a good way, sometimes not so much.

There is a lot to unpack in this book. At times, it seemed as if the story would not be able to come to a full circle conclusion. Or at least i had no idea how Lacelle would get the reader to that point. And, while it was wrapped up well, I will say I took 1/4 star off because I was sad to see the story of two particular characters just kind of end. I cannot go into specifics but I felt like that was left dangling, perhaps on purpose so I could come to my own conclusions about the fate of those characters. I'd love to ask Lacelle if that's why she ended their story in the way she did.

I can truly say I don't think Lacelle could write something I don't want to read. I am excited to see what she comes up with next in Stars Incarnate. If you're looking for a deeply emotional dark academia story where the characters growth and development feels real, pick this series up and give it a try. I honestly think anyone who enjoys a gripping high fantasy will fall right into the world of Aldryn College and be swept away by what Lacelle offers to them.

Author:

Pascale Lacelle is the New York Times bestselling author of Curious Tides and Stranger Skies. A longtime devourer of books, she started writing her own at the age of thirteen and quickly became enthralled by the magic of words in both French and English. She lives in Ottawa, Canada with her loving dog and an ever-growing library of books waiting to be read. You can find her online at PascaleLacelle.com or on Instagram.