The Yellow Suitcase Review

Book Written by L.W. Clark

The fact that this is based on real events makes this book so much better. I loved how Alyssa was not someone that had the perfect time getting to America. I think that it is super important that the author showed her emotions and how her depression would take over sometimes. It added a realistic quality to the book that helped me relate to the main character. When she was betrayed by her friend and left to her own devices to get to America, it showed how hard it was to get into a new country without a shining personality.

Watching her learn English was also interesting as it is a point of view that I would not have thought of as someone that is a native English speaker. Going through her time as an immigrant trying to make a better life for herself and her family had me rooting for her and wanting to see her get into a better situation than she was when she worked on Long Island. Gilles was the perfect man for her and was there for her when she needed him. Personally, I would have not stayed married to him for as long as she was. I would want him to be with the person he loves instead of being stuck with a woman that he loved less.

I loved that there was also a focus on LGBTQ talk during the early 2000s and how even though no one else would have accepted Gilles and Mark, Alyssa only focused on her love for Gilles as a bisexual man. Alyssa as a character was a tad naive, but that also added to the amount that she was able to learn throughout her journey.

Written by Christina Gizzi

A History of Vampires Review

Book By Amanda Lewis

A History of Vampires is a very different tale on the vampire and how they lead their lives. After reading this book, I am still not sure what the plot was or what the point of the story was. I did not like the Hitler plot and how Anne Frank was involved in the story. I think a different person could have been chosen and the plot would have been the same. That storyline made me uncomfortable with the constant mention throughout the book. There were some chapters that were not necessary and many parts that I skipped over because I did not understand what they had to do with the story. There was no character development whatsoever. I still do not understand how Angelina fell in love with Jude, she seemed to only like him for his deeds which is not love. I can see how the author wanted to set up the end of the book for another, but I did not find that plot line interesting.

I think that the fact Jude had been pursuing Angelina for three years without her knowledge is incredibly creepy and should not have been part of the reason that she fell in love with him. Whenever she is around him, she feels a pull to him. She thinks that is her heart pushing her toward the person she is meant to be with. I think it is a way for him to trap women and get them to marry him.

Written by Christina Gizzi

(U)topian Review

By Dave Fin

The idea of being frozen and waking up in a better future. That is the goal of many people and the premise of some television shows. This happens to our main character Card, and he has to figure out why he was chosen to be frozen and how to live a new life in the 22nd century. I have mixed feelings about what I read. Some parts were extremely confusing and I had no idea what was going on, but by the end I understood the story and the importance of Card being in the future. I think the chapters were way too long and could have been separated to make things more interesting. I think that the interactions between Card and other characters were great and that it showed character growth throughout the novel, but I had so many questions while reading. I wish the writing was easier to understand and that the main story would have been clear.

Written by Christina Gizzi

Chasing Fireflies Review

By Chloe Fowler

When I first started reading this book, I thought it was just going to be a cute romance book that showed the lives of a group of teenagers. The characters in this story did so much more than that. They talked about what it was like to be poor and not know what was going to happen when you went home. It talked about absent parents and how even though a child can do everything their parents ask for, they can still feel like it's not enough. I loved the characters in this book and how the main characters, Rainey and Liam, went through two completely separate lives but came together perfectly. Everything they went through together, from the bullying to their first date, helped them grow closer and learn what love was. I knew that the ending was not going to be happy, but I had no idea that it would turn out the way it did. I sat on my bed sobbing while reading the last 10 percent of the book. I recommend this book to everyone, even though I haven't stopped crying yet. Chasing Fireflies shows the reality of teenagers in high school that have to deal with more than just classes. It feels like a book written by a teenager from their own point of view and I think that is what made it so good to me. Also the dog helped. I am going to be thinking about this book for a very long time.

Written by Christina Gizzi

City of Shattered Light Review

by Claire Winn

City of Shattered Light follows the dual perspective of Asa and Riven as they come together to solve a connected problem. Asa is trying to escape her father, who is trying to make the galaxy better with his technology, but instead is killing people for his advantage. Asa’s sister, Kaya, is one of their father’s experiments and her brain is used for experiments. Asa is repulsed by this and escapes with Kaya’s brain to try to put her back together. Riven is on a different planet and owes a matriarch money. Her and her crew don’t have much time to get the money and rely on Asa when she crash lands on the planet to get the money. This book surprised me in the best ways possible. I loved that the characters worked together, even though they all had their differences. The fact that most of them were either gay or a part of the LGBTQ+ community made is so much better than I was expecting. The level of acceptance and normalization of people loving whoever they want and given the proper pronouns made my heart so happy. The story was like anything I had ever read before. The adventure was so unique and having the crew fight something that was not a living thing made the story so cool.. The amount of character growth in this book was amazing, especially since the characters went through so much in such a short amount of time. The ending surprised me the most, it was something that I was not expecting at all. I know this book is going to be released in October, but I need the second book now.

City of Shattered Lights Releases October 19, 2021

Written by Christina Gizzi

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Murder My Past Review

By Delia C. Pitts

This murder mystery follows a man named Rook that is investigating the death of his ex-wife, Annie. Throughout the book, as he is dealing with his own grief and trying to get justice for Annie, he also busies himself with other cases that end up helping with his own case. I enjoyed the amount of detail that was put into this book in terms of the story and the characters. There was so much character growth, especially in the main character Rook. He had to deal with three different cases all while mourning the death of his ex-wife. I could tell that he was a character that wanted to keep to himself and not let anyone in to help, even if it caused him trouble. I thought his relationship with Brina was interesting. I could never really tell what they were, but I knew that they cared for each other. I could honestly see who the killer was from the beginning of the book, but I found the motivation interesting and how it ended was different from what I was expecting.

Written by Christina Gizzi

Corrupt Review

By Penelope Douglas

  • 5/5 Stars
  • 4/5 Spice

I heard so many things about Corrupt before starting it for a book club. I knew that this was a story of revenge and redemption, but that is all I wanted to know without spoiling the story. I honestly had no idea what to expect going into it, but I knew from having read other Penelope Douglas books that it would be a wild ride.

The story follows Erika Fane, Rika, has been avoiding her ex-boyfriend Trevor since she got back home and cannot wait to move to a new city to start a new life at a new school. As she walks into the Crist’s solarium, her neighbors, Trevor corners her and tries to convince her to stop running from him and accept the reality that they were meant to be together. Rika, however, is repulsed by Trevor and wants to get away from him and enjoy some freedom for once. Unbeknownst to her there is someone watching her and Trevor fight. Michael, Trevor’s older brother, sits in the back of the solarium, staring at Rika as she leaves the room.

The next day she leaves for the city and into a new apartment. Realizing that her apartment had been upgraded, Rika comes to the realization that the Crist’s own the building.

Later that evening, a loud noise wakes her, leading her to run into Michael, who lives in the penthouse of the building. From that evening, Rika’s life turns upside down and she loses control of everything she has ever known.

There were so many twists and turns throughout this book that I had no idea what was going to happen next. I think that the first half of the book was kind of repetitive, but very important for the audience to understand how everyone got to where they were in the present. The multiple perspectives showed that Rika and Michael were on different pages and had no idea what the other had been through three years ago when Michael’s friends were arrested.

Michael and his friends wanted revenge on Rika for causing three of them to go to jail. Rika has no idea why Michael and his friends are torturing her. All of this could have been solved if Michael has just gotten the balls to talk to her and ask her about that night.

I thought that the way it ended added to the mystery of the story. When Damon left the Crist’s house, it was impossible to know where he was until he came back for revenge. The last few chapters of the big fight scene really showed how the characters had grown throughout the book and what they would do to protect themselves and the people they care about.

I am 100% going to read the next book and the rest of the series and am curious as to what is going to be added to the story.

Written by Christina Gizzi

The Catch Review

By Lauren H. Mae

The catch follows Cat and Josh as they go through a new relationship. The two meet in a bar at Virginia Beach. Cat is there for a pre-bachelorette party for her friend and Josh is there for a work conference/vacation. The two have an instant connection and have to work through their pasts to have a future together. I was captivated by this book from the first page. I loved Cat and how much I related to her. I understood where she was coming from with a horrible past relationship and being weary of Josh’s intentions. I absolutely loved the way that they fell in love with each other and how they both fell so hard even though it was hard to admit to themselves and each other. This book ripped my heart out and I’m not sure if it was because I was already going into the last 200 pages sad or if it was the amazing storytelling. I felt so bad for Josh and how he only wanted to feel safe and prove to Cat that he was different from her ex. I’ve been loving the romance novels that focus on real life and how even though love is great, it is not a perfect fairy tale that can be the same on vacation and in real life. I already own the second book and cannot wait to get into it.

Written by Christina Gizzi

The Wolf’s Curse Review

by Jessica Vitalis

I love going into books without knowing without a synopsis, but I know that a lot of people do not feel the same. The Wolf’s Curse book follows a boy named Gauge who is a Voyant, or outcast, in the town that he lives in with his grandfather. Gauge is able to see the Great White Wolf, which no one else can see, causing the villagers to be afraid of what Gauge can do. Once Gauge’s grandfather dies, the adventure begins. I was surprised to see that the book was simultaneously in first and third person as the Wolf is telling the story of Gauge while also telling her own story. I loved that she could hear and understand everything that was going on in the character’s heads and how she didn’t interfere with what was going in in Gauge’s life. She allowed him to figure things out on her own and was able to learn a thing or two from him that she hadn’t learned in the 700 winters since she became the wolf. There were so many surprises in the book that it kept me interested and I ended up falling in love with this book.

Written by Christina Gizzi

A LOT LIKE LOVE REVIEW

A Lot Like Love

by Jennifer Snow

A Lot Like Love is the perfect summer romance! Set in the small town of Blue Moon Bay, the main character Sarah had just inherited a deteriorating B&B from her late grandmother. Conflicted between selling the B&B and restoring it, she goes on a journey to find out who she is and what she wants from her life. I absolutely loved this story and how mature it was. I loved how the realness of losing someone, worrying about work and the future, and focusing on the safety of a child were very present in the story. I thought that it showed how the characters thought about the people around them and what kept them from taking risks. Marissa was my favorite character. Even though she was only 9, she was super smart funny, and perceptive. She always knew when her dad was not doing the right thing and how to get him to do what is best for him. Even though Wes tried to keep his feelings for Sarah from Marissa, she could see what was going on from a mile away. Her sass often had me laughing to myself. Her relationship with Sarah was amazing for her and the way that her confidence grew as she learned more about apps and coding warmed my heart. Wes and Sarah together were a match made in heaven. They worked together well and even though they both seemed embarrassed about their feelings for each other, once they figured it out, everything seemed to fall into place. I love the way Jennifer Snow writes and cannot wait to read some of her other books!

Written by Christina Gizzi