Guess who got overexcited and now has 15 ARCs to finish in the next two months? Me? Oh, no.

Not me disappearing from the blogosphere for 4 days, and then posting two days in a row, for the helluva it.

Hey everyone! Welcome or welcome back to my blog!

So, well, as you can see from the title of the post, someone *cough me cough* ended up signing for waaaaay too many blog tours and requesting waaaaay too many ARCs, expecting no one to actually approve, but well I ended up getting approved for many ARCs and got into many blog tours, so haha, now I am stuck with bookish deadlines along with my boards. Woohoo.

ANyWaY, today, I’ll be discussing the 15 ARCs I have, and what I think of them. This post is more for me, to keep a track of all the books I have to read. Also, I’ll be linking to the Goodreads synopsis instead of writing the thing here, because we should keep it short, right? I’ll give the short summary though.

1. The Noh Family by Grace K. Shim (Goodreads):

Oh boy, I’m reading this book right now, and it’s like so fun!

What’s it about?:
Basically there’s this girl called Chloe Kang who’s father died before she was born. She and her mother live together. Her friends gifted her a 23-and-me DNA test, which ends up revealing a family she thought she never had- her paternal family which lives in Seoul. What’s more the family is RICH. So Chloe’s travelling to Korea to meet that side of the family, for just a week!

Thoughts: I don’t know why, but I am in the mood for books with Asian rep, specifically Indian and Korean, so this is perfect! I am looking forward to see where the story goes!

2. Before Takeoff by Adi Alsaid (Goodreads):

What’s it about?:
Okay, so the description says Jumanji meets The Sun is Also a Star, so sign me up! James and Michelle are two very different people, but during a flight layover they meet each other, and are drawn to each other. Michelle then presses a green button, and Jumanji like hell breaks loose.

Thoughts: The author had me at Jumanji. I would love to read the chaos that would reign in the novel, and I cannot wait to read it!

3. Murder Out of Character by Olivia Matthews (Goodreads):

What’s it about?:
It’s basically a small-town mystery and the description says that it’s like a Hallmark mystery! Marvey, our MC, comes across a list of four names, the first of which has been recently murdered, and the second is her close friend Spencer. He dismisses the list but after something ‘dangerous’ happens to him, he considers the possibility that someone might be out to kill him *ominous vibes oooo* Together with their library friends they try to find the killer on the loose.

Thoughts:
It’s been a while since I’ve read an adult mystery that’s not actually an Agatha Christie, which is why I requested this ARC. I am super excited to get to it!

4. A Little Bit Country by Brian D. Kennedy (Goodreads):

What’s it about?:
The book is about two boys Emmett and Luke falling in love and also about music. Emmett wants to be country music’s biggest superstar and follow in the footsteps of the famous Wanda Jean Stubbs, and Luke hates country music, since his grandma was Verna Rose, who had an infamous falling out with Wanda, which ruined their family. But he has to take up a job at Wanda World because of his mother’s medical bills, and then sparks fly between the two boys. Until…. a secret between Wanda and Verna threatens to pull them apart.

Thoughts:
I am super excited because ✨music✨ and secrets and just like, yeah.

5. Even Better than the Real Thing by Melanie Summers (Goodreads):

What’s it About?:
Finley Greene is hoping to land a spot with her dream PhD advisor, but the only problem is that she needs access to the art collection owned by her boss, Hayden Stuart. When she approaches Hayden to ask for a favor, she finds out he needs something too: a wife. The only way he can get the title of Earl and inherit his family fortune is by being married. The two agree to a marriage of convenience with the understanding that neither one of them is looking for real love. But as they spend more time together, they realize they may have trouble sticking to their original agreement. Will their fake marriage turn into true love or will they be able to part ways once they’ve gotten what they wanted out of the arrangement? (This blurb was written by Suzie)

Thoughts: Okay, enemies-to-lovers + fake dating (dating, marriage, same thing) + academic perspective? COUNT ME IN! I requested this directly on Netgalley and was so surprised when I got approved haha. Although, I am a bit in doubt about the fake marriage thing and whether or not will I be able to make my peace with it, because like, in my culture marriages are sacred, and I cannot imagine marrying someone for the heck of it, so maybe I may not be completely on board, idk.

6. How to be the best third wheel by Loridee da Villa (Goodreads)

What’s it about?:
Lara spent the summer before senior year visiting family in the Philippines, and expected that nothing much would have changed when she returned. So it’s a shock when her three best friends all have found boyfriends over the summer, and she’s the third wheel – or more like the seventh wheel. And what makes it even worse is that the boyfriends are all friends with her arch nemesis, James, who is third wheeling too. Now that the two groups are mixed, Lara can’t escape James, and the feeling she pushed aside when she was younger are coming back. (Blurb written by Sophie)

Thoughts:
I don’t know why but I love seventh wheels. Okay, I know why, Leo Valdez. So when I read the synopsis of the novel, I was like ‘Gimme gimme gimme’! Obviously though, didn’t expect to get approved. Fun fact, I requested 4 novels from the same publisher- Wattpad Books, and got only one approval.

7. The Meeting Point by Olivia Lara (Goodreads):

What’s it about:
This book follows Maya, a journalist and aspiring author, who flies to San Francisco to surprise her long-term boyfriend on her birthday. Except when she gets there, a Lift driver answers her boyfriend’s phone and informs her that he had been cheating on her. Maya then proceeds to have a whirlwind day out directed by the Lift driver from text, who she calls Max. Flash forward a year later and Maya is still thinking about that day and wondering what life would be like if the outcome was different. She goes back to the town she visited in order to find her mystery Max and I was 100% invested in search. However, her search was not that simple as she becomes attached to the town and a certain man living there called Ethan. (Blurb by Georgia)

Thoughts:
This was another novel I requested directly, and to be honest, it was all because of the hype around the book when it came out. So many people raved about it, and I was like, let’s get it!

8. The Knave of Secrets by Alex Livingstone (Goodreads):

What’s it About?:
Con artist Valen Quinol gets the chance to compete in the Forbearance Games, and he can’t resist the invitation. Valen is sent by a gangster to defeat a certain man. When Valen accomplishes this task and wins the valuable secret the man had. Valen and his crew are now being chased by gangsters, thieves and many other people. The secret is worth a fortune and can start a war. (Blurb by Kirsten)

Thoughts: The premise sounds super promising, but the reviews don’t look great. I don’t often read this genre anymore, but I am looking forward to the novel!

9. Dead End Girls by Wendy Heard (Goodreads):

What’s it about?:
The story revolves around step-cousins Maude and Frankie. Maude has been planning to commit psuedocide for years now and escape her life being shuffled from two indifferent parents. When Frankie discovers Maude, Maude must bring Frankie with in order to keep her plans in order. Unfortunately the police soon catch onto their trail, and everything is a race against time. (Blurb by Andy)

Thoughts:
Now that I am reading the reviews, I am finding out that it’s sapphic, and I just know Maude and Frankie will end up together, but they are like cousins. I don’t know what to do with that, so I am hoping that it’s like not too bad, idk. Like maybe the plot and characters and writing will help me get over the step cousins thing?

10. Poukahangatus by Tayi Tibble (Goodreads):

The cover thoughh

What’s it about?:
This is actually a poetry collections! It’s basically the poet’s exploration of her identity as an indigenous woman of the 21st century.

Thoughts:
Despite the fact that I write poetry, I rarely read poetry collections, and this is like just an attempt to start reading more of it. I want to develop my poetry to a publishable level as well, so I feel like this will be great exposure!

11. The Songs You’ve Never Heard by Becky Jerams and Ellie Wyatt (Goodreads):

What’s it about?:
This book follows Meg, a girl in the shadow of her brother’s fame. She’s a singer too, but she feels invisible to her family and the world except for her online best friend. Her online bestie is also the guy she has a crush on in real life that she can’t help being horrible to face-to-face. Meg gets a job at a yogurt shop and befriends Alana, a plus-size sunshine personality singer! Alana helps Meg find her voice. (Blurb by Spiri)

Thoughts:
As I said before, I am really into K-pop based books these days, (Leave suggestions in the comments!), so this was like a book I instantly requested! It sounds super cool! What’s more the authors are like huge song writers apparently, so I think the writing style’s gonna be a big plus!

12. (Not) Your Basic Love Story by Lindsay Maple (Goodreads):

What’s it About?:
Brokenhearted Becky met a great guy, Dev, on the plane while flying to Mexico to her bestfriend’ wedding. Everything was great at first but then Dev throwed up on Becky and the spell was broken. As if there were not enough Becky grabbed wrong luggage and she realized that this was Dev’s. As these coincidences brought them together, their relationship began to get serious. It was not just a fling anymore. Can a roommate-hating city girl with a diet of chicken nuggets and cheap wine make it work with a vegetarian, non-drinking, Sikh man who lives with his rambunctious multigenerational family in the suburbs? (Blurb by Neslin and Goodreads)

Thoughts: INDIAN REP COUNT ME IN. SIKH REP? DOUBLE COUNT ME IN. Okay, but like really, the premise sounds really interesting, right, right?

13. Scotsman in the Stacks by Alana Oxford (Goodreads):

What’s it about?:
Paige is a librarian who’s single and she doesn’t want just a fling. She wants to settle down and that’s why she broke up with her last boyfriend, but then one day in the library she meets James and although they are attracted to each other immediately, she doesn’t want to get involved since he’ll be staying for only eight weeks and then he has to return to Scotland. (Blurb by Bruna)

Thoughts:
Um, library? Um, Scotsman? Um, alliteration in the title? Um, cover? Okay, that was too many ums, but you get my point!

14. Twelfth by Janet Key (Goodreads):

What’s it About?:
Twelve-year-old Maren is sure theater camp isn’t for her. Theater camp is for loud, confident, artsy people: people like her older sister, Hadley—the last person Maren wants to think about—and her cinema-obsessed, nonbinary bunkmate, Theo. But when a prank goes wrong, Maren gets drawn into the hunt for a diamond ring that, legend has it, is linked to the camp’s namesake, Charlotte “Charlie” Goodman, a promising director in Blacklist Era Hollywood. 
When Maren connects the clues to Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, she and her new friends are off searching through lighting booths, orchestra pits and costume storages, discovering the trail and dodging camp counselors. But they’re not the only ones searching for the ring, and with the growing threat of camp closing forever, they’re almost out of time. (From Goodreads)

Thoughts:
Well, honestly, I don’t even know why I picked this blog tour, but the Shakespeare factor plays in and so does the entire theater thing. It’s LGBTQ+ too, and the theater thing sounds lovely!

15. Two Truths and a Lie by April Henry (Goodreads):

What’s it about?:
A group of kids on their way to a theater contest decide to spend the night at a creepy hotel because of an impending blizzard. This motel is old school with metal keys to open the door. Nell and her group of friends meet another stranded group of kids from another school. There is no cell service at the motel so Knox suggests they all play a game, two truths and a lie.
Nell draws a paper with unrecognizable handwriting. It says “I like to watch people die”. “I’ve lost count of how many people I’ve killed”. To make matters worse, the group discovers the horrendous history of the motel. One by one the guests begin disappearing and they realize that a murderer is on the loose. (Blurb by Nicole)

Thoughts:
Tell me with a straight face that you are not attracted to the blurb. If you did say it to the screen with a straight face, Jesus Christ, you’re a great liar. It sounds so good, and I literally cannot wait to read it! Like, so good!!! I hope it’s super dark- AAAH!

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That was a long post. But I hope you enjoyed it! I know it’s like a very okayish post, definitely not one of my best ones, but, well, I did enjoy writing it! Here’s to hoping I finish these up! Have you read any of these? Are they on your TBR? Let me know in the comments below!