Category: General Books

Book Review: Role Playing by Cathy Yardley

Dini @ dinipandareads19 Comments

Role Playing
Publisher: Montlake
Pub Date: 1 July 2023
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Panda Rating:

(4.5 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

Maggie is an unapologetically grumpy forty-eight-year-old hermit. But when her college-aged son makes her a deal―he’ll be more social if she does the same―she can’t refuse. She joins a new online gaming guild led by a friendly healer named Otter. So that nobody gets the wrong idea, she calls herself Bogwitch.

Otter is Aiden, a fifty-year-old optimist using the guild as an emotional outlet from his family drama caring for his aging mother while his brother plays house with Aiden’s ex-fiancée.

Bogwitch and Otter become fast virtual friends, but there’s a catch. Bogwitch thinks Otter is a college student. Otter assumes Bogwitch is an octogenarian.

When they finally meet face to face―after a rocky, shocking start―the unlikely pair of sunshine and stormy personalities grow tentatively closer. But Maggie’s previous relationships have left her bitter, and Aiden’s got a complicated past of his own.

Everything’s easier online. Can they make it work in real life?

⚠️ CONTENT WARNINGS

Homophobia, racism, bigotry, forced outing, toxic family, parental death

TL;DR: If you’re looking for a cosy, heartwarming and hopeful story about older characters finding their people and being accepted just as they are; for a story where people find joy and comfort in gaming and online connections; and for a story that’s equally entertaining but that’s not without it’s heavier moments, I would 100% recommend this book!

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#TopTenTuesday: Water Covers

Dini @ dinipandareads47 Comments

We’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week’s topic is actually: Water (This can be covers with water on them, books with bodies of water in them, titles with bodies of water in them, etc.)

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Sundays in Bed With… #MyWeeklyWrapUp [199]

Dini @ dinipandareads15 Comments

I know it’s Monday but since I just got back from Bali today and posted a review last night, I thought I’d shift my weekly wrap-up to today!

We’re back with another Sundays in Bed With… meme! This meme dares to ask you what book has been in your bed this morning and is hosted by Midnight Book Girl. Come share what book you’ve spent your time curled up reading in bed with or which book you wish you had time to read today!

Progress: 26% → It’s been a hot minute since I read anything by Penelope Ward and when I saw her latest release, I Could Never, it sounded interesting enough to pick up. Sadly, I’m not sure if I’m going to finish it as it’s giving me nothing… Not to mention I’m not sure how I feel about the autism rep and autistic character! 😕

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ARC Review: Shucked by Kate Canterbary

Dini @ dinipandareads15 Comments

Hi friends, I’m so excited to share my review of Shucked by Kate Canterbary! Special thanks to the author for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Shucked (The Loew Brothers #1)
Publisher: Vesper Press
Pub Date: 22 August 2023
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Panda Rating:

(4.5 stars)

📖 SYNOPSIS

His best friend’s little sister is not an option.

No one ever accused Beckett Loew of being the nice Loew brother, especially not Sunny duJardin. Stuck back home in the quirky town of Friendship, Rhode Island, Beckett is scrambling to save his family’s oyster bar and take care of his teenage brother. He doesn’t have time to deal with the beautiful, sunshine-y owner of the new vegan cafe next door too. His best friend’s little sister may be all grown up, but Sunny’s still a distracting pain in his side.

No one expects much from Sunny duJardin, especially not Beckett Loew. She’s not worried about her older brother’s tall, dark, and broody best friend or battles he insists on waging with her everyday. She’s not the same kid he teased years ago. Now, she composts his type for breakfast.

They’re all wrong for each other.
Bitter rivals.
Complete opposites.
Off limits.

Except they can’t keep their hands off each other.

They tell themselves it’s nothing more than a steamy summer fling until secrets spill and real trouble comes their way.

⚠️ CONTENT WARNINGS

chronic illness (epilepsy), mention of childhood bullying, putting the fun in dysfunctional families, parents who turn into accidental criminals, incarceration, open door spice, suspense and moments of peril, happily ever after, no cliffhanger.

TL;DR: Shucked had me feeling all the lovely chaotic emotions, which was perfect because these characters were exactly that: lovely and chaotic, lol. Sunny and Beckett were the perfect combination of grumpy sunshine with a bit of age-gap and brother’s best friend/childhood nemesis sprinkled in. The tension was exquisite and their hate-to-love banter and button-pushing was hilarious! Let’s just say I am so ready for the next book in this series and I need it now, please~!

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ARC Review: Love & Resistance by Kara H.L. Chen

Dini @ dinipandareads7 Comments

Special thanks to Rylee from SparkPoint Studio and the publisher for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Love & Resistance
Publisher: Quill Tree Books
Publication Date: 04 July 2023
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary

Panda Rating:

(4.5 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

Seventeen-year-old Olivia Chang is at her fourth school in seven years. Her self-imposed solitude is lonely, but safe. At Plainstown High, however, Olivia’s usual plan of anonymity fails when the infamous Mitzi Clarke (influencer, queen bee, bully) makes a pointed racist comment in class. Olivia knows what she must do: let it go. But Olivia is tired of ignoring things just so she can survive. This time, she defends herself.

That is the end of her invisible life.

Soon, Olivia discovers, and joins forces with, the Nerd Net: a secret society who has been thwarting Mitzi’s reign of terror for months. Together, they plan to unite the masses and create true change at Plainstown High.

But in order to succeed, Olivia must do something even more terrifying than lead a movement: trust other people. She might even make true friends along the way… if Mitzi doesn’t destroy her first.

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Bullying/Cyberbullying, racism (use of slurs), xenophobia, parental abandonment, divorce

TL;DR: Love & Resistance is a YA contemporary that has an intriguing premise and delivers on it too. The story covers some tough topics such as bullying, racism/xenophobia, and the toxicity of social media culture. Although it was at times heartbreaking and emotionally angsty, it was also powerfully hopeful and I appreciated the approach the author took to handling the tough situations that Olivia and her group of friends find themselves in. I’m sure many readers will be able to relate to this story and the experiences of these high schoolers. This was a great debut by Chen and I’m looking forward to seeing what the author puts out in the future.

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Blog Tour Spotlight: Norah’s Ark by Victoria Williamson

Dini @ dinipandareads5 Comments

Happy Monday, friends! Today I’m excited to shine a spotlight on Norah’s Ark by Victoria Williamson as part of the blog tour hosted by The Write Reads! As always, thanks for having me on tour. Don’t forget to check out the other bloggers on tour via Instagram and Twitter. ☺️

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Sundays in Bed With… #MyWeeklyWrapUp [198]

Dini @ dinipandareads11 Comments

We’re back with another Sundays in Bed With… meme! This meme dares to ask you what book has been in your bed this morning and is hosted by Midnight Book Girl. Come share what book you’ve spent your time curled up reading in bed with or which book you wish you had time to read today!

Progress: 65% → Love & Resistance is an interesting YA contemporary about a secret group of misfits that aim to take down the popular bullies and disrupt the hierarchy in their school. It’s been pretty entertaining so far and I love the comparison of high school “politics” to dictatorial governments, lol. 😅

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