To Read or Not To Read

A sparkling, heartwarming debut from Alison Cochrun puts reality TV and love right in the spotlight. With empathetic conversations about mental health, a love story that's undeniably compelling, and two characters at the center of it all that readers can't help but cheer for, The Charm Offensive is exactly everything contemporary romance should be.  Alison Cochrun is a high school English teacher living outside Portland, Oregon. When she's not reading and writing queer love stories, you can find her torturing teenagers with Shakespeare, crafting perfect travel itineraries, hate-watching reality dating shows, and searching for the best happy hour nachos. You can find her on Instagram or at her website www.alisoncochrun.com .  Dev Deshpande has always believed in fairy tales. So it's no wonder that he's spent his career crafting them on the long-running reality dating show Ever After. As the most successful producer in the franchise's history, Dev always scripts t...

A fun, upbeat, and fresh contemporary romance novel, The Ex Talk does more than just provide an authentic romance. Rachel Lynn Solomon tears down the walls of what it's like to be an adult, and how one navigates the world of adulthood that is so often riddled with confusion and misogyny. A contemporary romance novel that is both loudly entertaining and quietly brilliant, The Ex Talk is sure to be a story that remains popular for its ability to validate all kinds of readers, in all kinds of ways. Rachel Lynn Solomon worked in public radio before her love of storytelling carried her to fiction. She's the author of several books for teens and adults and will tell anyone who'll listen that it really doesn't rain that much in Seattle, where she lives with her husband and tiny dog. You can find Rachel at RachelSolomonBooks.com , or on Instagram @RLynn_Solomon.  Shay Goldstein has been a producer at her Seattle public radio station for nearly a decade, and she can't imagin...

Chloe Gong delivers a masterful, heartwrenching, dramatic sequel in her second novel, Our Violent Ends , the finale to her These Violent Ends duology. A story that combines elements of Shakespeare's original Romeo and Juliet without compromising a single ounce of its originality, Our Violent Ends paints a story of love and violence, and the both horrifying and delightful ways in which those two combine.  Chloe Gong is the New York Times bestselling author of These Violent Delights  and its sequel, Our Violent Ends . She is a recent graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, where she double-majored in English and international relations. Born in Shanghai and raised in Auckland, New Zealand, Chloe is now located in New York, where she is pretending to be a real adult. You can find her on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok under @thechloegong or check out her website at TheChloeGong.com . You can find more of my reviews of Chloe's works here .  The year is 1927, and Shanghai t...

A masterpiece of a retelling, Chloe Gong places two of Shakespeare's most famed characters as leaders of gangs, in the midst of uncovering the source of an epidemic raging through 1926 Shanghai. Thrilling, immensely detailed, and compelling at each turn, Gong puts a whole new twist on Romeo and Juliet retellings, placing the power right where it has always been: in Juliet's hands.  Chloe Gong is a student at the University of Pennsylvania, studying English and international relations. During her breaks, she's either at home in New Zealand or visiting her many relatives in Shanghai. Chloe has been known to mysteriously appear when " Romeo and Juliet   is one of Shakespeare's best plays and doesn't deserve its slander in pop culture" is chanted into a mirror three times. You can find her on Twitter @thechloegong or check out her website at thechloegong.com . You can find more of my reviews of Chloe's works here .  The year is 1926 and Shanghai hums to th...

A bold and brilliant tale about the magician that falls down to the world below, fans of Janella's debut Where Dreams Descend finally get all the answers they're looking for in the finale, When Night Breaks . Full of the gorgeous prose and storytelling we fell in love with, When Night Breaks is more than just a finale, or an ode to theatre—it is also a commentary on living in a dark world, and finding one's way out through the darkness when the quest for answers is riddled with obstacles we cannot ever know. The examines the ways we uncover who we truly are, and how we remain true to ourselves. A masterpiece, When Night Breaks is sure to please, delight, and keep one intrigued until the curtain falls.  Janella Angeles is the Filipino American bestselling author of Where Dreams Descend . She got her start in writing through consuming glorious amounts of fanfiction at a young age—which eventually led to creating original stories of her own. She currently resides in Massachus...

The finale of the beloved Heroes of Olympus series is full of suspense, big battles, and the words of the prophecy finally ringing true. Everything you've been waiting for exists within the pages of The Blood of Olympus , and every reader, no matter what brought them to the series in the first place, will find some satisfaction at the ending.   Rick Riordan, dubbed "storyteller of the gods" but  Publishers Weekly , is the author of five #1  New York Times   bestselling series, including Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, based on Norse myths. He is best known for his Percy Jackson and the Olympians books, which bring Greek mythology to life for contemporary readers. He expanded on that series with two more: the Heroes of Olympus and the Trials of Apollo, which cleverly combine Greek and Roman gods and heroes with his beloved modern characters. Rick tackled the ancient Egyptian gods in the magic-filled Kane Chronicles trilogy. Millions of fans across the g...

In the penultimate novel of the Heroes of Olympus series, our favorite heroes meet old foes and craft new tricks to get them out of tight spaces. Action-packed and insanely compelling, The House of Hades follows the seven demigods as they make their journeys back to one another, before the final battle can begin. Will they make it? Or will their journeys prove to be deadly, as Gaea so dearly hopes? Guess you can only find out by picking up your copy!  Rick Riordan, dubbed "storyteller of the gods" but  Publishers Weekly , is the author of five #1  New York Times   bestselling series, including Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, based on Norse myths. He is best known for his Percy Jackson and the Olympians books, which bring Greek mythology to life for contemporary readers. He expanded on that series with two more: the Heroes of Olympus and the Trials of Apollo, which cleverly combine Greek and Roman gods and heroes with his beloved modern characters. Rick tack...

Rick Riordan's finest yet, The Mark of Athena takes our favorite seven demigod characters all the way to Rome—but first they start in California. With a fated reunion fans have been waiting for, violent fights that we dread watching, and mysteries that unravel right beneath our feet, The Mark of Athena is an explosive third book in the Heroes of Olympus series.  Rick Riordan, dubbed "storyteller of the gods" but  Publishers Weekly , is the author of five #1  New York Times   bestselling series, including Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, based on Norse myths. He is best known for his Percy Jackson and the Olympians books, which bring Greek mythology to life for contemporary readers. He expanded on that series with two more: the Heroes of Olympus and the Trials of Apollo, which cleverly combine Greek and Roman gods and heroes with his beloved modern characters. Rick tackled the ancient Egyptian gods in the magic-filled Kane Chronicles trilogy. Millions of fans...