[28] Beyond What Is Given (Flight & Glory, #3) by Rebecca Yarros
Fiction / Women, Saw on Kindle Unlimited/next in series, Kindle

Synopsis:  After failing her last semester of college and doing something she feels horrible about, Samantha is looking for a fresh start. She leaves her home state of Colorado and moves to Alabama to take classes at a community college and moves into a house with her former next door neighbors, and their housemate Grayson. Grayson has been shut off and mysterious to his housemates for years – they know next to nothing about him. But he and Samantha immediately have a fiery chemistry and she really wants to bring those walls down and get to know him.

Review: All the things I want to share about this book are spoilers. Sigh. So let me say the non-spoilery thing – Samantha and Grayson are friends with the characters from the first two books, you know, the ones who wouldn’t communicate? And those characters told Samantha and Grayson to communicate, so there is much less of the communication trope in this. Woo hoo! But WHOA, this book is such a freaking roller coaster. In a good way. In a “I have to finish this and see how they end up together! I know they will because it’s a romance!” SPOILER: This book is nuts. Grayson has been going to his hometown in NC a few times a month because he has a girlfriend who has been in a coma for five years! Then she wakes up about halfway through the book! And one of Grayson’s sisters (he has like 3-4?) is an absolute B word and wants Grayson to stay with his girlfriend and is HORRIBLE to Samantha. OMG the drama. So good. It was like reading a soap opera.

Recommend? Yes

[29] Hallowed Ground (Flight & Glory, #4) by Rebecca Yarros
Fiction / Women, Saw on Kindle Unlimited/next in series, Kindle

Synopsis: December and Josh (main characters from book #1) finally live together after doing the long distance thing. December is finishing up her degree and deciding if she wants to do a summer away at a dig site, and Josh is a medevac pilot for the Army. Almost immediately after moving in together, Josh is deployed to Afghanistan. December knew this is the life she was getting in to, but didn’t expect it to happen so fast.

Review: This book is a crazy rollercoaster, but in a different way than the last one. This one gets back to communication breakdowns, and major lack of communication, and ugh, I wanted to finish it, but these two drove me freaking crazy! I did like that the book also updated on the other characters from the series, and now I will finish the series up.

Recommend? Nah

[30] Funny Story by Emily Henry
Fiction / Romance / Romantic Comedy, because I will read all Emily Henry, Kindle

Synopsis: Daphne’s fiancé Peter broke up with her to be with his childhood best friend, Petra, and asked Daphne to move out. Daphne moved to Michigan because Peter is from there and doesn’t know anyone or have a backup plan, so she moves in with Petra’s now-ex, Miles. At first Daphne and Miles are just existing together, then they go out once and she realizes he’s a cool guy, and agrees to a summer of him showing her around his town in Michigan.

Review: Sadly, this book didn’t have the Emily Henry banter and charm that some of her books do. I liked it, it just didn’t have that sparkle. It was a robust, layered story about Daphne figuring out how to be herself outside of a relationship, and about finding place and making new friends as an adult, but, eh, I wasn’t super invested in her and Miles. In the beginning they make Miles out to be a loser. Then you realize he isn’t and you think he and Daphne are going to do the pretend relationship thing to mess with Peter and Petra and that sounded entertaining, but they didn’t really lean into that. Just feel a bit flat for me.

Recommend? Nah