Welcome back to another Read with Kayla! The past two weeks have been full of some pretty incredible books that I am really excited to share with you. These eight books are all worth giving a read, and there is a little bit of something for everyone!
I haven't read a memoir in quite some time, but when I saw the lovely Priyanka Chopra-Jonas was writing one, I had to pick it up! I thoroughly enjoyed getting to learn about Priyanka's life story. Though she has been open in media about her childhood and career, it was even more enlightening to read about it in her own words and all in one place. She is incredibly hard working and motivated and a great role model for young women in every field. I really loved reading about her life full of family, love, hard work, grief and ultimately success. I highly suggest giving this a read!
Rating: ★★★★
Read if you love: Priyanka Chopra, badass women, stories of success, filmmaking, pageants, Nick Jonas (the stuff about their wedding is too cute!)
Purchase: Barnes and Noble | Amazon
I picked up this book in preparation for the upcoming Netflix show after hearing mixed reviews from some of my friends. After just one chapter I was hooked! Alina is a complex and interesting main character and I really enjoyed this first part of her story. The world building is wonderful, and even the villains and side characters are captivating characters. I cannot wait to continue this series and see it come to life on Netflix!
Rating: ★★★★★
Read if you love: adventure, badass women, mystery
Purchase: Barnes and Noble | Amazon
My expectations for this book were not very high after reading Crave and having such a hard time getting into it, but they were far exceeded! I'm so glad that I continued with this series. Now that we are past the world building of the first book, I am very invested in Grace's story and was on the edge of my seat through most of this sequel. I'm really glad I read this right as the third book was coming out, because much like the first book, this one had a MEGA cliffhanger that I needed to find out what happened next IMMEDIATELY!
Rating: ★★★★
Read if you love: Crave, vampires, mystery
Purchase: Barnes and Noble | Amazon
I am a sucker for a fake-relationship trope book and this one did not disappoint! I loved that unlike most books in this trope, this "fake relationship" started from a moment of genuine care and misunderstanding, not to try and fool someone. Jo and Emma are both incredibly relatable characters and the chemistry between them is undeniable. You will root for them the entire time! I really really really enjoyed this book!
Rating: ★★★★
Read if you love: Fake dating trope, Hollywood drama, LGBTQ+ Romance
Purchase: Barnes and Noble | Amazon
This is definitely my favorite of the three released books in the Crave series. The characters in these books are really easy to grow attached to and all are beautifully flawed yet deeply care about each other. I loved seeing the bonds between Grace and her classmates grow in this book while being challenged by external and internal forces. There were plenty of twists and turns and I cannot wait to see what happens in Court when it comes out this fall!
Rating: ★★★★
Read if you love: Crave and Crush, Vampires
Purchase: Barnes and Noble | Amazon
After finding The Song of Achilles only okay, I was nervous to see what I would think about this book about the Titan Sorceress/Witch Circe, who is one of my other favorite figures in mythology, but this book did not disappoint! I enjoyed it much more than TSOA. Miller's Circe is incredibly well developed to show both her insecurity and her power. Though this book spans centuries, it never feels jumpy to the point where you don't know what is going on. Miller somehow managed to get into the head of an immortal and how they would interpret such a long period of time in relation to the lifespans of the mortals around them. This book was wonderful!
Rating: ★★★★
Read if you love: Greek Mythology, powerful women
Purchase: Barnes and Noble | Amazon
After how much I loved Shadow and Bone, this book was a little disappointing. There was a lot of new information and many new characters that seem like they will be crucial to the ending of the series that were introduced very quickly and it made it hard to really grow attached to them. The world is still incredible and I enjoyed seeing Alina grow and change in this book. I'm excited to start the third book and hope that I will feel more connected to the new characters and goals.
Rating: ★★★
Read if you love: Shadow and Bone
Purchase: Barnes and Noble | Amazon
Kathryn was kind enough to reach out to me and offer me an advanced copy of this book (Coming out Monday, March 15th) to review. Overcoming Addiction to the Status Quo is a book all about how to pull away from the draining expectations of what other people see as success, and avoid hitting rock bottom from overworking yourself and not taking time for self-care and true happiness.
Kathryn uses her own experience as a lawyer, along with those of colleagues and friends, to encourage others to take a step back and really focus on the things that matter in life. She talks about how the professional world (especially zero-sum professions like law, medicine and business) often values habits that can be destructive to the mental health of those in those fields. Through her own vulnerability in sharing her story, she encourages readers to look into their own lives and make changes that will help them move past these damaging work habits and ideals.
This book was full of good motivational content. Kathryn's ideas surrounding vulnerability, self-care and boundaries give a great example of the kind of life we should strive for. I also really enjoyed how she talked about kindness not being a weakness, as it is sometimes viewed in professional settings. I think there is advice in this book that everyone could benefit from. Though the specifics of Kathryn's legal career may make it hard for some readers to get through, the pearls of wisdom in this book are well worth it and it is a quick read. I definitely recommend giving it a read!
Rating: ★★★
Read if you love: Women supporting women, overcoming obstacles, self-help books, self care
Purchase: Barnes and Noble | Amazon
So there you have it, the first half of March! I hope you check some of these books out and enjoy them! Make sure you are following me on Bookstagram (ReadWithKaylaXO) so you don't miss out on my real-time reactions!
xo,
Kayla
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