They Stole Our Hearts by Daniel Kraus REVIEW

 They Stole Our Hearts

by Daniel Kraus

🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕

Synopsis

The teddies—clever Buddy, brave Sunny, sweet Sugar, and wise Reginald—have managed to find a child. Life with Darling is far better than any they’ve known. But something's not right—the promised bliss of Forever Sleep hasn’t come. And they are kept a secret from Darling’s mother, hidden underneath the child’s bed in the dusty darkness.

Then the inevitable happens: Mama discovers the teddies. And like all adults they’ve met thus far, she responds with fear and anger. The teddies must watch as one of their friends is destroyed. The remaining trio barely escape, thrust back into a world that does not want them.

Disillusioned and lost, the teddies embark on a journey back to the factory where they were created. En route, they find a civilization of discarded teddy bears. The comfort of a town of teddies has its allure…but the need for answers weighs heavy. And there’s something definitely off about these new teddies. Will our heroes accept their strange rules? Or must they dig deep for one more grand adventure to finally learn why they were thrown away?

Review

Thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

They Stole Our Hearts is the second book in The Teddies Saga. I would recommend reading book 1 They Threw Us Away before reading this one.

I absolutely love this series. It's so unique. I mean, teddy bears placed in the scariest situations you can imagine for a cuddly bear. I think Kraus has done something truly interesting here. This book is great for everyone as it's geared for children but has enough suspence to keep an adult interested. I found myself excitedly making my way through the story. I absolutely love this series. I just finished this one and I need the next book now!

So would I recommend this for kids? That depends on the child. If the child is really soft hearted and easily upset I would probably avoid this one. If the child isn't easily upset then give this series a shot. But make sure to start with book 1!

The Art of Running Away by Sabrina Kleckner REVIEW

 The Art of Running Away

by Sabrina Kleckner

🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕

Synopsis

Twelve-year-old Maisie is an artist. When she’s in front of her sketchbook or apprenticing at Glenna’s Portraits, the family-run art shop her grandmother started, the world makes sense. She doesn’t think about Calum, her brother who mysteriously left home and cut ties with her family six years ago, or her parents’ insistence that she “broaden her horizons” and try something new—something that isn’t art.

But when Glenna’s Portraits falls on hard times, Maisie’s plan to take over the shop when she’s older and become a lifelong artist starts to crumble. In desperation to make things right, Maisie runs away to London to reconnect with her adult brother, hoping he might be the key to saving the shop. But as Maisie learns about her family’s past from Calum, she starts to rethink everything she’s ever known. Maisie must decide not only if saving her family’s art shop is worth it, but if she can forgive her parents for the mistakes they've made.

Review

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I absolutely love this book. It is a new favorite of mine and every time I think about it I get warm and fuzzy. I laughed, I cried, I playfully rolled my eyes and I just fell head over heels in love with the story and it's characters.

The Art of Running Away is an amazing story about discovering who you are and realizing that a single one thing doesn't define you. Even if it is your biggest passion, it's still just a part of who you are. There are so many sweet lessons in here. Normally I would call it overkill but man it just worked. There are so many important parts in here including an amazing conversation on what it means to be an ally. It's a small book with a lot of big moments.

Maisie is wonderful as a main character. She is so well written. You can feel her different emotions throughout the book. Her passion for her art can be felt throughout the entire story. Sabrina Kleckner did a phenomenal job of breathing life into Maisie and making her multi dimensional. She really took her characters and her story and breathed life into every page.

One of my favorite things about this book is the relationship between Maisie and Calum. It's my favorite sibling relationship that I've ever read about. The way their relationship heals and grows is simply perfection. It's absolutely beautiful.

Have I mentioned yet that I love this book? The writing is engaging and beautiful. You can just slip away into the pages and become a fly on the wall to Maisie's life. The Art of Running Away isn't just a book, it's a whole experience.

I believe this is Sabrina Kleckner's first book and I'm so in love with it that I will be grabbing her next book without hesitation. I can't even express how wonderful this book truly is. I hated to even finish it because I just wanted to stay in the story as long as I could.

I recommend this book to everyone. It's just a wonderful little read that has so much to offer.

Expected Publication: November 16, 2021

All The Tommys in the World by Javier Gombinsky

All the Tommys in the World

by Javier Gombinsky

🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑

Synopsis

They know something we don't.

For horror Youtubers Lilith and Nate, zombie movies are escapist fantasies. So when a real zombie uprising in the streets of New Southport is quickly thwarted, they know those familiar-looking ghouls are hiding something. They should know. Born with a weak heart in the funeral town of Leatelranch, built around the largest cemetery in the world, Lilith’s parents raised her with zombie stories to keep her from learning the truth about what happens inside the cemetery walls.

As for Nathan, the caretaker’s son... he has his reasons to be so cowardly. So when they get outsmarted by seemingly droning ghouls and are forced to split up, the uncanny coincidences are undeniable. And as things start to look more and more like Lilith’s apocalyptic visions, and as a darker threat lurks, it’ll be up to them to piece the puzzle before everyone they love faces a fate worse than becoming a zombie.

Can they be stopped? Are they just playing dead? Do they have a plan?

They know something we don’t. And whatever it is, they hate us for it.

Review

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

So this was an interesting take on zombies. And while I appreciate what it did, it has solidified my suspicions on my zombie preferences. I want them either completely brainless only knowing that they need raw flesh (The Walking Dead) or totally passable as a living person who can live among the living without going crazy and eating everybody (iZombie). The really smart zombies of this book just aren't for me.

What I didn't like about All the Tommys in the World is that is dragged in certain places. Also, at times it became a bit confusing. If you're someone who enjoys a lot of world building this could be something you like. The characters are not well developed which isn't a bad thing for me specifically but I wanted to mention it for anybody who wants that building in their stories.

With that being said, I would still give this book a solid 3/5. I enjoyed the story and the characters enough to keep me going throughout the book. A couple of times I found myself lost but was able to get back on track. The best part of this book is how weird it is. It has certain incoherent aspect to it that makes reading it feel like you're going through a nightmare.

I'm not sure who I would specifically recommend this to. It's weird, it's different and it's got zombies so if those things appeal to you maybe you would enjoy this one.

Expected Publication: August 17, 2021

All's Well by Mona Awad REVIEW

 All's Well

by Mona Awad

🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑

Synopsis

Miranda is a theatre professor whose life is less than satisfactory. After falling during a performance early in her acting career, she finds herself in constant, seemingly incurable pain and struggles to even sit still. When she hopes to revisit the glory of her acting days by having her class stage Shakespeare's All's Well That Ends Well, she is met with a mutiny from her students, led by her least favourite undergrad--the devious Briana. Forced instead to put on Hamlet, Miranda is devastated at the duplicity of her students, underhandedness of her boss, and is consumed by frustration at the lack of control she has over her own body and life.

When she's drowning her sorrows at the local pub one night, her path takes a sharp turn. Three mysterious men in suits who seem to know everything about her--her pain, her glory, and her deepest desires--offer to help her. After drinking a glowing, golden liquid, she wakes up the next morning with no memory of the night before, and her chronic pain has lifted. Miranda's life starts falling into place: she is not only walking but running with ease; Briana has become gravely ill; and a twist of fate allows Miranda to stage her beloved All's Well That Ends Well. But as a lover of the Bard, Miranda should know that sudden streaks of luck always come at a price...

All's Well is a searing exploration of chronic pain and depression through the classic tensions between saints and sinners, healers and witches, revenge and jealousy, love and lust to craft a completely modern and truly unique rendition of a Shakespearean play.

Review

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Well... this was a ride. All's Well is a wonderfully weird story featuring one of the craziest characters I've ever read about. I loved the unreliable narrator and not knowing what was actually happening. It felt like every time I knew what was going on something else would happen to throw me off. Throughout the story we are thrown into a lot of different directions without ever having everything totally explained. Reading this book is like having hallucinations, you never know what is actually happening and what is all in your mind. It's a wild tipsy ride only for those looking for the next weird thrill. 

I still haven't read the synopsis for this book. In full transparency, I wanted to read this one because I've heard so many people talk about Bunny and how weird of a book it was and then I had the chance for an arc so I grabbed it. Now I'm thinking Bunny has to be one of my next reads because of how much I enjoyed this one.