Skip to primary navigation
Skip to main content

Life
Books
Style
Beauty

Home
About
Blog
Contact
- Sponsor

star-crossed smile

NYC life and style blog

My account

[woocommerce_my_account]

@scsreads

📚November wrap-up (thanks to the publishers tag

📚November wrap-up (thanks to the publishers tagged below for the free copies!)
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I thought last month was kind of a write-off, but when I actually checked, I realized that I finished 8 books last month, which is a very good reading month for me! You'll see there were multiple romances (I needed some comforting reads while the election was going on) + a couple nonfiction picks.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
GIRL GONE VIRAL (not pictured): I enjoyed this contemporary romance, but not as much as I liked the first book in this series, THE RIGHT SWIPE.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
BECAUSE YOU'RE MINE: I think this was my fourth Lisa Kleypas book this year and I loved that this historical romance was set in the world of theater.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND (via @librofm): Weeks later and I'm still not sure how I feel about this book, but I was glad I read it to see what the hype was about.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
EVERYTHING I KNOW ABOUT LOVE: An enjoyable collection of essays for millennial women.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
GROUP (via @avidreaderpress): Another interesting read about one woman's experience with group therapy, but after finishing the book and reading/listening to several reviews, my opinion on this book soured somewhat.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
GROWN: I found this YA read so hard to put down- consider me a huge Tiffany D. Jackson fan now.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
TIES THAT TETHER: Loved this contemporary romance set in Canada with a Nigerian woman as the main character.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
IN A HOLIDAZE (via @gallerybooks): I enjoyed it for the Christmasy vibes, but overall the story was lacking something for me.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
If you want to read my full reviews on any of these books, there's a new post all about them on the blog today (link in bio).
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Have you read any of these? If so, what did you think?

Wow, this book was SO good. I read it in a few day

Wow, this book was SO good. I read it in a few days and I found it hard to put down. If I’d had the time, I would have read it one sitting, that’s how good this was.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
The story follows Enchanted, who meets superstar music artist, Korey Fields, at an audition. She’s an aspiring singer and he’s impressed with her talent, so he decides to take her under his wing. At first it seems like all of her dreams are coming true, but it’s actually a nightmare when Korey’s true colors are shown.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
This was seriously so gripping and made my heart hurt. It’s heavy- everything that Enchanted goes through is difficult to read about. What struck me the most was the people that knew who Korey really was and either kept it a secret or turned a blind eye. Some did nothing and some even helped keep his secrets. It’s absolutely disgusting and it shows that these people don’t operate in a vacuum. They exist in a society that’s willing to turn a blind eye if you’re rich enough or charming enough or famous enough.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Some themes that Jackson writes about are the sexualization of Black girls, colorism, and racism. She points a light straight at the ugly truth: Black women are constantly disrespected, neglected, and unprotected. I think the main message that Jackson was trying to convey is that we as a society need to do a lot more to protect Black girls because they are vulnerable. We need to protect them, support them, uplift them, because it’s not easy to be a girl, and it’s even more difficult to be a Black girl.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Ooof, as I said, this is a tough read, but an excellent one. Now please excuse me while I go read everything else that Tiffany D. Jackson has written.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
[Including the content warning mentioned in the book: sexual abuse, rape, assault, child abuse, kidnapping, and addiction]
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Full review will be on Goodreads!

TGIF! Catch me on the couch in my #bookstagrampjs

TGIF! Catch me on the couch in my #bookstagrampjs (pj purchase influenced by @heykatelyn_ and @booksonherbrain) as soon as I wrap up work today 🤗
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I'm currently switching back and forth between MEDIOCRE and HOW TO FAIL AT FLIRTING as I wanted to have something lighter on the go to balance my nonfiction read.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I've got no major plans this weekend- just hoping to get some reading done and maybe get started on my holiday cards! Do you have any weekend plans?

#scsreadsreviews TIES THAT TETHER by Jane Igharo

#scsreadsreviews TIES THAT TETHER by Jane Igharo

I wanted to read this book as soon as I heard about it and I’m happy to report that I loved it!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
It’s about a young Nigerian-Canadian woman named Azere, who meets a man named Rafael Castellano and starts to develop feelings for him. There’s just one problem- he is not Nigerian and she promised her parents that she would marry a Nigerian man. As her feelings grow, she has to choose between love and duty, between following her heart or following her parents’ wishes.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I saw a lot of myself in Azere. She’s Nigerian (she’s Edo, but I’m Igbo) and she works in advertising. She’s a dutiful daughter. She loves rom coms and tends to bury her feelings and pretend everything is fine, when it’s not. It me!!! I don’t recall either of my parents ever saying that I had to marry a Nigerian man. But other members of my family have, so I’ve experienced that external pressure to some degree.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I really connected with the way the author wrote about some of the struggles of being an immigrant. I was born here, but I think some of the struggles of being an immigrant and having immigrant parents overlap. Igharo writes about how immigrants chase success, wanting to work hard in their new country to prove that they belong there, while also showing those they might have left behind that they made the right choice when they moved.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
This is a story about love, family, being an immigrant, and choosing a different life than the one you’d envisioned or that was planned for you. I was thrilled when I heard about this romance written by a Nigerian author and for me, it was such a fun, relatable read.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
[full review will be on @goodreads as I had a lot to say about this one and couldn’t fit it all here! (link in my bio)]

#sponsored #GetUnderlinedPartner Bring on the hol

#sponsored #GetUnderlinedPartner Bring on the holiday reads! The holidays are absolutely my favorite time of year. I love the beautiful decor, special traditions, and spending time with loved ones.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I find holiday reads so comforting and I’m very excited to read these two new holiday romances from @getunderlined: ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS by @authorwendyloggia and NEW YEAR’S KISS by #LeeMatthews. Both of these covers are just adorable and the stories sound so cute (check out the descriptions below)!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS: This sweet and magical romance about a girl who has just one wish--someone to kiss under the mistletoe--is the perfect holiday escape!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
NEW YEAR’S KISS: A fun and upbeat paperback original romance about a girl who has a New Year’s resolution to make the coming year epic in every way—and is willing to put herself out there for love.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
How do you feel about holiday reads? Also, what are some of your holiday traditions? I love hearing about how people celebrate the holidays!
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
#AllIWantForChristmas #NewYearsKiss #myhomevibe #ireadya #yabookstagram #ilovebooks #holidaybooks #christmasdecorating #ilovetoread #styleithappy #christmas2020 #amreadingya #youngadultbooks #holidayreads #becauseofreading #books #yareads #bookstagram #ilovetoread #cozyvibes #holidayvibes #bookpic #holidayhome #simpleandstill #bookishlove #myhousethismonth

Copyright © 2020 · star-crossed smile · Hearten Made ⟡

Search

Type + hit enter