Books I Read in October

Because I Love You by Tori Rigby - 4 stars (finished 10/6)
I was gifted this book via Netgalley.
I chose to request this book because it dealt with something that hits close to home for me: teenage pregnancy. I was 17 when I found out I was pregnant with my first child. The MC, Andie, is slightly younger at age 16 and has a slightly different life than me, but still I knew I was going to relate in some ways to her and I was excited to read her story.

Being pregnant before graduating is about the only thing I have/had in common with Andie. It was pretty different otherwise. Andie is the co-captain of the cheerleading squad, but once she finds out she is pregnant, she is not only slut-shamed but treated like she is a leper. The degree of bullying once she finds out she is pregnant is not something I experienced and it was incredibly heartbreaking. She is basically ostracized by nearly everyone in school before she makes the switch to being homeschooled. The only people she has left are an ex-boyfriend she reconnects with after she finds out she is expecting and a new friend she has made after everyone else refuses to have anything to do with the pregnant girl.

I really loved this book despite the 4-star rating, but I docked a star because there was some plot whiplash. A lot of back and forth and I am not really a huge fan there. And it didn't really have much to do with pregnancy hormones - because I have been there (three times now) and know how that goes. I did cry in like half the book though, so that means I did really connect with the characters and the story. The end was not what I expected and I did like that too. Although I did hold out that Andie would choose differently.

The Best Possible Answer by E. Katherine Kottaras - 3.5 stars (finished 10/11)
I was gifted this book via Netgalley.
The synopsis of this book said nothing about anxiety that the MC, Viviana, deals with when it's a huge part of the plot. I would have been even more inclined to read this book because of it, even though the current synopsis caught my attention.

Vivi strives to overachieve due to the unrealistic pressures her father has placed on her. She's got her eyes on the Stanford prize because that is what is expected of her. She ends up riddled with anxiety after her now-ex-boyfriend makes a private picture of Vivi go viral after she dumps him via text. I can really relate to her anxiety and panic attacks having experienced pretty awful anxiety over the last 6 months.

I felt like the story needed more development though. It was good, but it was definitely lacking. It needs more. I wasn't really a big fan of Vivi's bestie, Sammie, and I felt that her 8 year old sister, Mila, was written entirely too young - I have an 8 year old daughter. I feel like Mila reads/acts more around 6 years old or so. Professor Cox was also another really strange addition to the story that was completely confusing.

Bitter Blue by Jennifer Estep - 5 stars (finished 10/20)
BOOK 14 IN THE ELEMENTAL ASSASSIN SERIES

I was gifted this book via Netgalley.
It's hard to leave a review without spoiling some major plotlines of other books that have come previously, but I will say that I really enjoyed this one. I felt like the recaps weren't too prominent like in some past books - they were more useful than just fillers. The plotline had me slackjawed. It was SO good. Finn was quite frustrating, as was the new character. You just wanted to shake them both. The ending was great too. I love seeing where this is going! Thoroughly impressed with this one!

Unraveled by Jennifer Estep - 4 stars (finished 10/25)
BOOK 15 IN THE ELEMENTAL ASSASSIN SERIES

I was gifted this book via Netgalley.
I felt like this was Bitter Bite part two and loved it. It's rare that you get to see a bad guy more than once in this series because Gin is so very good at her "job". I loved the flashbacks to Gin's childhood and more of a glimpse of her life before Mab stepped in. Overall, another great book in the series and, of course, now I am dying to read the next book. January cannot come soon enough!!