ARC Review: We Are All So Good at Smiling by Amber McBride

They Both Die at the End meets The Bell Jar in this haunting, beautiful young adult novel-in-verse about clinical depression and healing from trauma, from National Book Award Finalist Amber McBride.

Whimsy is back in the hospital for treatment of clinical depression. When she meets a boy named Faerry, she recognizes they both have magic in the marrow of their bones. And when Faerry and his family move to the same street, the two start to realize that their lifelines may have twined and untwined many times before.

They are both terrified of the forest at the end of Marsh Creek Lane.

The Forest whispers to Whimsy. The Forest might hold the answers to the part of Faerry he feels is missing. They discover the Forest holds monsters, fairy tales, and pain that they have both been running from for 11 years.

Title: We Are All So Good at Smiling
Author: Amber McBride
Expected Publication Date: January 10, 2023

Publisher: Fiewel Friends

Review:

I want to thank Fiewel Friends and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book to read and give an honest review. 

This is my first book in-verse. I will say I was hesitant to request it because I thought for sure I would hate it written this way. But I wanted to challenge myself to read something outside my wheelhouse that might make me think or look at things differently. Boy was I happy I allowed this of myself.

This book was fantastic. I could not put it down.

My first thought is how well the poetry flows and keeps you involved in the book. I didn't want to put it down and finished it in two days (not too shabby for a full time working mom). The language, the characters, the descriptions all kept me wanting more and I was actually upset when the book was finished.

Let's touch on how it deals with mental health. We all know there is a huge crisis in the United States right now. So many people are struggling to live, to be heard, to get the help they need. This booked touched on all of that. The loneliness, the despair, the feeling of falling deeper and deeper into a pit you might never be able to climb out of.

The addition of the magical elements and the fairytale made the book that much more interesting for me to read. I loved how the author worked those elements into the story.

This book is dark and gripping and really gets to the heart of clinical depression and how it affects a person.

I will definitely be picking up more books by this author.

 

Amber McBride received her BA in English from James Madison University in 2010 and acquired her MFA in Poetry from Emerson College in 2012. She has taught English Composition, English Literature and Introduction to Poetry at James Madison University, Strayer University and Northern Virginia Community College. She currently teaches at the University of Virginia.

ARC Review: A Thousand Heartbeats by Kiera Cass

“Love has a sound. It sounds like a thousand heartbeats happening at the same time.”

Princess Annika has lived a life of comfort—but no amount of luxuries can change the fact that her life isn’t her own to control. The king, once her loving father, has gone cold, and Annika will soon be forced into a loveless marriage for political gain.

Miles away, small comforts are few and far between for Lennox. He has devoted his life to the Dahrainian army, hoping to one day help them reclaim the throne that was stolen from them. For Lennox, the idea of love is merely a distraction—nothing will stand in the way of fighting for his people.

But when love, against all odds, finds them both, they are bound by its call. They can’t possibly be together—but the irresistible thrum of a thousand heartbeats won’t let them stay apart.

Kiera Cass brings her signature sparkling romance to this beautiful story of star-crossed lovers and long-held secrets.

Title: A Thousand Heartbeats

Author: Kiera Cass

Publication Date: 11/29/22
Publisher: HarperTeen

Review:

I want to thank HarperTeen and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book to read and give my honest review.

What drew me in: The cover! It's gorgeous. I love a gorgeous cover and honestly many publishers have moved away from them as of late. I was so happy to see this one. It reminded me of all the high fantasy books I have read and loved.

What I imagined: high fantasy, sword fights, action, thrilling chases, etc.

What I got: not so much of that though it was there here and there.

I was hoping for something along the lines of Sarah J Maas or even Redwine but it didn't hit that for me. It took me forever to get through this book. It's very long at over 500 pages, and it definitely felt that way.

I did connect with a few of the characters, particularly the male lead, Lenox. But I also didn't feel the heroine, Annika, was as fleshed out as she could have been. I wanted more from her. More angst. More fight. More grit. And, while the male lead kept saying she had it, I just did not see it. The dual POV also lost me a bit. I feel like this book would have been better narrated in third person. We could have still understood the characters but without the back and forth that took place for the entire book.

I also feel like there needed to be more of the enemies thing. Annika was way too easy to forgive the wrong done to her by Lennox. I just didn't feel like she was angry enough, upset enough, or anything enough with him. 

Overall the plot was decent but I think the story was slow and I also feel like we needed more of a deep dive into the history from the beginning but we did not get that.

My overall rating for this is a 3. I thought maybe it was going to be a series, but this book ended without needing that.

Definitely not the high fantasy I was expecting but a worthy read for the younger population of readers who like to do a little swooning.

100 Things I Love:

Being married. Cake. The smell of Autumn. Motherhood. Books. Elephants. Back rubs. On demand movies. Actually going out to movies. Faith. Cinnamon rolls. My family. Butterflies. When my kitchen is clean. Crayons. Pink. Tote bags. Dancing. Organizing via color coordination. That my wedding dress was tea length, not floor. Baking. My house. Writing utensils. Paper. India. The sound of water. Making videos. Buttons. The word Episcopalian. Making people laugh. Layering clothes. British accents. Pinterest. Animation. Fireworks. The smell of the Ocean. My wedding rings. Aprons. Reasons to get dressed up. Sex. Pop music. Stars. Taking walks. Daydreaming. Stickers. School Spirit. My friends. Living in a small town. Japan. Singing. Painting my toenails. Pranks/ practical jokes. Painting. Stretch canvas. Costumes. Dipping my fingers in melted wax. Style. Soda. Spending an hour typing at a coffee shop. Musicals. Back to school season. Mopeds. Good hair days. Naps. Not walking up but looking at a beautiful staircase. Driving alone. My ankles. Playlists. Spending entire days in pajamas. Holidays. Telling stories. Spontaneity. Theme parks. Bookshelves. The word copacetic. Boxes. Empty journals. Surprises. Doing things in groups. Doing things alone. Getting real mail. Decorating. Small forks. A good hug. Gift cards. New Years Goals. Going out to dinner. When someone else remembers some great story about me/us that I’ve forgotten. Toy stores. Fireplaces. Breakfast foods. Journaling. Crying for a good reason. Doorbells. Pointless adventures. Voting. My birthday. Reasons to make wishes. Recycling.