Category Archives: Romance

Review: Soulmatch by Rebecca Danzenbaker

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Soulmatch by Rebecca Danzenbaker

Soulmatch
Rebecca Danzenbaker
Publisher
Published July 29, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Soulmatch

Two-hundred years after World War III, the world is at peace, all thanks to the soul-identification system. Every 18-year-old must report to the government to learn about their past lives, a terrifying process known as kirling. Good souls leave the institute with their inheritance, a career path, and if they’re lucky, a soulmate. Bad souls leave in handcuffs.

It’s a nerve-wracking ordeal for Sivon, who, given her uncanny ability to win every chess match, already suspects her soul isn’t normal. Turns out, she was right to worry. Sivon’s results stun not only her, but the entire world, making her the object of public scrutiny and anonymous threats.

Saddled with an infuriating and off-limits bodyguard, Sivon is thrust into a high-stakes game where souls are pawns and rules don’t exist. As deaths mount, Sivon must decipher friend from foe while protecting her heart against impossible odds. One wrong move could destroy the future lives of everyone Sivon loves, and she can’t let that happen, even if they’ll never love her back.

My Review

It’s been a while since I read a fast-paced dystopian young adult book, so this one really scratched that itch for me. It reminded me a little bit of The Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld or Matched by Ally Condie in that the society cares a lot about appearances and plays a large part in determining the role people are meant to play.

I liked Sivon’s character from the beginning, though I wish we had gotten to see more of her chess prowess in action. The fact that she’s really great at chess comes up now and then, but it obviously isn’t something that she thinks of as defining her.

Later on in the book, though, she uses her ability to think about logical outcomes to unravel some of the lies she’s been told. I love that idea, but I wanted to see more of that process on paper. Instead, she puts her head down and we wait while she thinks before we enjoy her “aha” moment. Being shut out of her mentally connecting those dots wasn’t as satisfying as seeing that thought process play out, especially if it had been connected to her understanding of chess more directly.

One thing that I thought was very nicely crafted is the romance element of the story. It develops over time, and the obstacles and miscommunications feel pretty realistic. A bit of the descriptions of the two finally together got a little cheesy, but I think considering the whole soulmate aspect of the book, it worked.

When I started reading this book, I was really nervous about how long it would take me to finish it. I tend to struggle with longer books, and this one is almost 500 pages. It’s a pretty big testament to how compulsively readable the book is that I finished it in just over 36 hours.

Conclusion

Even though this is dystopian rather than fantasy, I could see Stephanie Garber fans really liking this one. I think fans of Chloe Gong will also like the political intrigue aspects of the book. The cover is also gorgeous, so I suspect that will draw a lot of attention, too!

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used intermittently.

Romance/Sexual Content
The kirling process also identifies soulmates, which may or may not be romantic pairings. For example, Sivon’s identical twin best friends are soulmates. Some scenes show kissing between characters. One scene begins with kissing and the scene ends, hinting the characters will go further.

Spiritual Content
Souls are reincarnated into new bodies. The kirling system identifies a soul and connects the current life to the soul’s past lives. If one committed a crime in a past life and didn’t serve out a sentence for it or pay a fine, they will have to do so in their next life.

Violent Content
Repeated mentions of suicide. Every time one soul is reincarnated, they die by suicide. This is not shown on scene, but referenced a number of times. References to child abuse (not shown on scene). Situations of peril and assassination attempts. Reference to murder and death.

Drug Content
Social drinking.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: Codebreaker by Jay Martel

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Codebreaker
Jay Martel
Wendesday Books
Published July 22, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Codebreaker

This original, interactive thriller from debut author Jay Martel follows a brilliant teenage girl as she races across D.C. to decode the clues her father left behind, which may just be the key to saving the country from a devastating tragedy.

Mia Hayes has peaceful plans for the summer—find a part-time job at a coffee shop and work on her application for Harvard. Those plans are shattered one night when government agents arrive unannounced at her home seeking something they believe her father has taken. When the dust settles, her mother is dead and her father is gone, a fugitive on the run.

Three weeks later, and still reeling from her father’s betrayal, Mia spends her seventeenth birthday at a protest in the heart of D.C., where she meets Logan, a rebellious and charming hacker. Just as she’s enjoying her first happy moment since the night her world exploded, a voicemail from her father arrives to upend everything she believed about her family, her past, and what really happened that night three weeks ago. Even more, the voicemail hides another encoded message inside which, once Mia solves it, sets her and Logan off on a mission from her sleepy suburb straight into the heart of the federal government.

With the same agents now hot on their trail, Mia and Logan must navigate their way through American history’s most iconic sites and uncover its most well-hidden secrets to reveal the truth about her family and stop a deadly attack.

In this non-stop thrill ride, the reader has the chance to test their own codebreaking skills alongside Mia, lending an exciting interactive element to this page-turning thriller packed with action, romance, and life-changing revelations.

My Review

One of the really clever things about this book is that it allows and encourages readers to break the codes along with Mia. Once the reader has all the information necessary to break a code, a certain symbol appears on the page. At that point, you can pause and break the code or keep reading and see Mia reveal the answers. I love that concept, and I had fun figuring the codes out myself as I read.

The story also kept me engaged. It’s fast-paced with short chapters, so it felt like I was reading really fast. I liked both Mia and Logan, and appreciated that the authors balanced Mia’s focus and intelligence with her fresh grief. There was one thing that I guessed before it was revealed. I don’t think it altered my enjoyment of the story.

Codebreakers feels like a great book for readers aging out of middle grade and into young adult fiction who like intense, action-packed stories. The interactive element would be great for kids interested in codes. I hope there are more books like this in our future!

Content Notes for Codebreaker

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
A few instances of profanity.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Gun violence. Death of a parent. In two scenes, a person with a gun threatens to harm someone else unless Mia cooperates with them.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: Four Eids and a Funeral by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé and Adiba Jairgirdar

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Four Eids and a Funeral
Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé and Adiba Jairgirdar
Feiwel & Friends
Published June 4, 2024

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About Four Eids and a Funeral

Ex-best friends, Tiwa and Said, must work together to save their Islamic Center from demolition, in this romantic story of rekindling and rebuilding by award-winning authors Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé & Adiba Jaigirdar!

Let’s get one thing straight: this is a love story.

These days, Said Hossain spends most of his time away at boarding school. But when his favorite hometown librarian Ms. Barnes dies, he must return home to New Crosshaven for her funeral and for the summer. Too bad being home makes it a lot harder to avoid facing his ex-best friend, Tiwa Olatunji, or facing the daunting task of telling his Bangladeshi parents that he would rather be an artist than a doctor.

Tiwa doesn’t understand what made Said start ignoring her, but it’s probably that fancy boarding school of his. Though he’s unexpectedly staying through the summer, she’s determined to take a page from him and pretend he doesn’t exist. Besides, she has more than enough going on, between grieving her broken family and helping her mother throw the upcoming Eid celebration at the Islamic Center—a place that means so much to Tiwa.

But when the Islamic Center accidentally catches fire, it turns out the mayor plans to demolish the center entirely. Things are still tense between the ex-friends but Tiwa needs Said’s help if there’s any hope of changing the mayor’s mind, and Said needs a project to submit to art school (unbeknownst to anyone). Will all their efforts be enough to save the Islamic Center, save Eid, and maybe save their relationship?

My Review

This is such a sweet story. The book is broken into different parts or acts, and most begin with a memory of an Eid celebration from the past. These memories highlight the trajectory of Tiwa and Said’s friendship, including how they drifted apart.

I liked the cast of characters, including the cat Laddoo. It was easy to keep track of who everyone was and how they were connected because each one felt distinct, even down to the mayor with his plastic smile and the grumpy receptionist who loved lemon bars.

I also like that the romance element proceeds at a sensible pace. Said and Tiwa have some fences to mend, and the story allows them to do that and to sift through what went wrong between them and why. It makes the shift in their feelings organic and believable. So I thought that was really well done.

The setting is also integrated into the story really nicely. The authors do a great job showing the sense of community among the families who attend the Muslim Center and the character of the small Vermont town. It made me want to visit that part of the country, especially a town with a mural festival!

All in all, I enjoyed this book. I’ve read other solo projects by both authors. I recommend Jaigirdar’s contemporary romance novels for anyone who enjoyed this book. If you’re looking for something more intense, definitely check out Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Àbíké-Íyímídé.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Some strong profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing. Talk about dating and marriage.

Spiritual Content
Tiwa and Said’s families celebrate Eid together in scenes spanning several years. References to prayer and study of the Quran.

Violent Content
Some racist microaggressions. (Tiwa, a Black Muslim, is treated differently than others sometimes because of her race. People assume she’s not a Muslim.)

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: A Treachery of Swans by A. B. Poranek

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A Treachery of Swans
A. B. Poranek
Margaret K. McElderry
Published June 24, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About A Treachery of Swans

An enthralling sapphic retelling of Swan Lake, for fans of Allison Saft and V.E Schwab.

Magic has long been outlawed in Auréal. Odile has always known she’d be the one to restore it.

Raised by a sorcerer, Odile has spent years preparing for the heist of a lifetime. It’s perfectly simple. Impersonate a princess, infiltrate the palace, steal the king’s enchanted crown and restore magic to the kingdom.

But when the King is unexpectedly murdered, she’s forced to recruit the help of Marie d’Odette, the real princess, and the two begin to unravel a web of lies and deceit that leaves Odile uncertain of who to trust.

Soon though Odile must decide – her mission or the girl she’s falling for?

The fate of the Kingdom depends on her making the right choice. . .

My Review

I loved Poranek’s debut novel, Where the Dark Stands Still. Switching from that kind of story to this one was almost like reading Gilded Wolves after reading The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi. It’s the same author, and technically the same genre, but the flavor of the stories is very different.

As a former dancer, I’m always interested in reimaginings of or stories inspired by the Swan Lake ballet. This one keeps a lot of the original story’s beats but changes many of the relationships between the characters and centers the story around the relationship between Odile and Odette. The story is told from Odile’s perspective, and rather than being a prop that the sorcerer uses to trick the prince, Odile is an active character who drives the story forward herself.

I liked both Odile and Marie d’Odette’s characters, and watching the relationship develop between the two was fabulous. It was easy to feel the magnetism between them, but it didn’t feel insta-lovey or forced.

The narrative revisits this idea of agency and speaking up for oneself in Odile and Marie d’Odette but also in the prince. I liked that common theme and how the author used that challenge to shape the growth of the characters over the course of the story.

If you enjoyed Gilded by Marissa Meyer and her treatment of the story of Rumpelstiltzkin, grab a copy of A Treachery of Swans by A. B. Poranek.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing. Reference to making out and falling asleep together.

Spiritual Content
Three goddesses created and ruled the world until a sorcerer overthrew them. Some characters (with golden blood) have the ability to perform magic.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. References to and some descriptions of a beast tearing up and devouring people. Some instances of toxic/manipulative/abusive behavior of a parent toward a child.

Drug Content
Characters drink alcohol socially. Reference to other tonics and concoctions.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: Finding Prince Charming by Jamar J. Perry

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Finding Prince Charming
Jamar J. Perry
Bloomsbury USA Children’s
Published June 10, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Finding Prince Charming

In this swoonworthy YA romance, an ordinary teenage boy finds himself accidentally fake dating a crown prince.

Tyriq Howell is swearing off of love. After a fight with his cheating ex leads to missing his college scholarship interview, he vows to be done with dating for good. Until Desmond, a boy who works in the scholarship office, approaches with a curious proposal: he’ll get Tyriq another interview if he pretends to be Desmond’s date to a fancy gala in two weeks.

When Tyriq shows up to the gala, he’s shocked when photographers swarm him and Desmond. He’s even more shocked when he finds out that Desmond is Prince Desmond of Catalina. And now that the whole world knows Desmond is gay, he’s front page news.

When the King angrily summons Desmond and his new boyfriend to Catalina, Desmond begs Tyriq to play along. If his father realizes Desmond is serious about coming out, he might finally agree to let Desmond pass the crown to his sister instead. But navigating court politics and pretend relationships is harder than Tyriq imagined-especially when he realizes that he may have accidentally broken his swearing-off-of-love rule.

My Review

I read this on the heels of a really challenging book. I definitely needed a sweet, funny, adorable romance, and this book absolutely delivered those things. Tyriq is such a sweet guy. He’s got great people in his life… except where it comes to love. There, he’s struggling to figure out how to find a relationship that balances taking with giving.

There are a few moments where the plot armor pulls the story forward before we can really parse out whether something is realistic, but honestly, I didn’t look too closely that those details. It was fun getting carried away by the romance and the fun parts of the story, and I don’t think those hiccups represented anything problematic.

I liked Tyriq’s best friend and his mom a lot. His mom is smart and pragmatic. His best friend tells him exactly what she thinks, but she’s really funny, too. Tyriq also has a twin brother, and I enjoyed the ways in which they were alike and very different from one another.

I think I read a middle grade book by Jamar J. Perry last year, and honestly, I wouldn’t have realized this was the same writer. The tone is so light and fun here, whereas his middle grade fantasy was more serious and tense. That strikes me as having some great range. I’m really interested to see what he writes next.

Readers looking for a light rom com for the summer– be sure to put Finding Prince Charming on your reading list!

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing. A couple of scenes lead up to sex. There are a couple of details that show the characters leading up to that experience before the scene cuts away.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Paparazzi follow and pester Desmond, Tyrig and Tyriq’s family. Desmond’s dad displays some homophobia.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: Embrace the Serpent by Sunya Mara

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Embrace the Serpent
Sunya Mara
HarperCollins
Published June 24, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Embrace the Serpent

In this sweeping romantic fantasy, a dangerous deal binds a young jeweler’s apprentice to the mysterious Serpent King in a marriage of convenience, thrusting her into a deadly game between the cunning, fearsome ruler and his rebellious huntsman. Perfect for fans of The Wrath & the Dawn and Once Upon a Broken Heart!

The Serpent King has come to find his bride, and with his arrival festivities sweep through the city. Inside and outside the Rose Palace await women from across the six kingdoms determined to become his new bride-to-be—all except for eighteen-year-old Saphira.

After escaping life as a palace ward under the cruel djinn Lady Incarnadine, Saphira now works as the apprentice to the unscrupulous jewelsmith Galen. Out of fear of being discovered, she hides her rare gift for harnessing the magic in gemstones and lets Galen take credit for her craft.

But when Galen makes a boast that ruffles the court, Lady Incarnadine punishes him with an impossible task—one that threatens to drag Saphira back into Incarnadine’s grasp. Desperate to avoid this fate, Saphira strikes a dangerous deal with Rane, the enigmatic huntsman sent by the Serpent King to find the best jewelsmith in the empire.

Rane promises that if Saphira crafts a mysterious piece for his master, the Serpent King will grant her a new identity and freedom. But when their plans go awry and the only way out is to marry the Serpent King, Saphira becomes entangled in the dangerous affairs of kingdoms and empires—caught between the cunning, handsome Rane and her cold, serpentine husband.

My Review

I remember really liking Sunya Mara’s debut novel, so I’ve been really excited about this one. I think I liked it even better than what I read before. There were moments that I thought this was going to be a duology, especially as we learned some critical information about the Serpent King’s empire. The last several chapters of the book moved really fast. If that had been expanded and some additional subplots and conflicts happened, it probably could have been a duology.

I think I actually prefer the standalone, though. I loved getting to read the entire story in one sitting. Finding out what happens with Saphira and how she navigates her unplanned/fake marriage was a lot of fun. A saw one thing coming, but then when it happened, I was excited and relieved. I didn’t mind that I’d spotted it before it was revealed.

Saphira’s experience as a jeweler and her obvious past trauma make her a character it was easy to care about immediately. She’s got this whole carefully balanced life that any number of things could upset. I knew we were in for a wild adventure.

She also has a sweet relationship with a golem that she’s created. I loved the way that that developed over the course of the story, too. He’s like a protector and friend, and they look out for each other.

Embrace the Serpent is one of my favorite young adult fantasies of this summer so far. I’m so glad I had a chance to read it, and I’m eagerly anticipating what Sunya Mara will write next.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 15 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing. In one scene the characters undress and the scene ends.

Spiritual Content
Some characters are magical beings and can transform. Other characters have some magical ability or influence. Saphira can create jewelry with magical ability through the power in different precious stones.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. A few battle scenes with injuries. References to execution or imprisonment.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.