IN THE PALM OF HER HAND by Lauren Carter

In The Palm Of Her Hand by Lauren Carter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've had this story on my phone for a bit and decided to read it tonight.

Brennan and Sophie are siblings who recently lost their mother and suspect she was killed...

This is a great short story told entirely via text messages. I love tales written in this way because telling a story through messages really introduces a great sense of tension. It kept my attention from beginning to end, and when the twist hit: 😳!!

Great fun, but it's also a lovely book. Between how the text messages are accurately shown on the page, to the lovely illustrations, I really enjoyed this eBook.


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Halfway Through Feb!

Happy Valentine's Day! 💕

Hey, how are you today? I hope you're staying sane in this unstable world of ours. Self-care and enjoying the things you love is always very important, but right now it's absolutely essential. So I hope you're all taking care of yourselves and each other.

I've spent most of this month reading. I have a pretty big TBR pile (it's really piles), but during February I've been finding myself going through my Paperwhite and randomly starting whatever catches my fancy. So I've now read a bunch of cool books that I'd forgotten I had and have thoroughly enjoyed most of them. If you're interested, you can read my reviews below.

So, asides from that I've been going for a lot of walks, have been hanging out with my husband, and we're enjoying the hell out of SEVERANCE. It's such a great show! Very cerebral. I always love watching movies and shows that make me think and encourage me to formulate theories. 

Do you remember the short story first draft (2,400w) I mentioned in my last post? Well, I actually worked on the final read-thru last night. The word count is now: 2,747.

I'm really happy with the finished product. The subject matter isn't fun, and at its core this is definitely a horror tale, but it's also a sharp slice of feminine rage. A violent dystopian that came out of nowhere but makes sense because of certain shitty things that are going on in the world right now.

That's not all I worked on last night. I also finished writing another short story that I started on my phone earlier this week. It's an idea that came out of nowhere and I managed to write the beginning, but then had to put it aside because it was missing something... So I couldn't move on until the answer came to me in the form of Joey Tempest.

After this missing piece of the puzzle landed in my head via a dream, and then came together during my afternoon walk, I was able to complete the first draft. That's 2,528 words. Who would've thought that a little Joey Tempest would help me complete this story? Well, teenage me might have. Or that I would write another apocalyptic shortie this week? Well, the state of the world could be responsible for that. 😁

Speaking of short stories, if you'd like a sample of the kinds of tales that I've written through the years, you can check out my very first short story collection HERE.

MELANCHOLY DELUSIONS already has some cool reviews on Goodreads.

OMG, another thing I've been doing is playing HELLO KITTY HAPPINESS PARADE on my Switch Lite. It's SO MUCH FUN and the songs are very catchy. Not to mention that the game is absolutely adorable. I love it!!

Well, that's it for now. I just wanted to drop in to post an update about what I've been doing lately. My husband is going to have a three-week break for the rest of the month, so I'm looking forward to hanging out with him.

Have an awesome weekend!

INK VINE by Elizabeth Broadbent

Ink Vine: A Gothic Sapphic Novella by Elizabeth Broadbent
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The weekend is almost here and I wanted to start a novella that I could read in one sitting. I'm glad that I picked this one.

Emmy Joiner lives in a trailer with her family in Lower Congaree. She works as a stripper and because of that, people like to make assumptions and throw out labels that don't apply. Besides, they don't know anything about her ambitions or what's in her heart. The day she meets Zara, her life takes an unexpected turn...

I really enjoyed this! The writing is as lush as the vegetation, and throws the reader into the middle of Emmy's life. The swampy landscape is inspiring and almost as dangerous as the people.

Emmy is such a great character with a very strong voice. A young woman who's only ever known poverty and the cruel words her mother continually spews her way. Still, she keeps going and aspires to become so much more. Yet, everyone is willing to judge her every action and call her names. But she doesn't let their opinions define her.

Another thing that I loved about this novella is the descriptions. Whether inside the strip club, in the deepest part of the swamp, or trapped within the tight walls of the trailer she calls home, I really got a sense of location and could picture everything vividly.

In many ways, this is a sad story about a woman trying to survive in a place where everyone pushes against her desire to grow. Only to find that the one part of herself she's kept secret is her real salvation.

I found the romance to be sweet and hopeful, even a little scary at times because of its intensity. The last bit is only because I suspected something otherworldly was going on, which was later confirmed.

This is a great Southern gothic tale.


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PUNK 57 by Penelope Douglas

Punk 57 by Penelope Douglas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was checking out the books on my Paperwhite yesterday and this one caught my eye. So, I started reading... and couldn't put it down.

Misha and Ryen have been penpals since they were kids. Maybe even best friends. Now they're both about to finish high school and when Misha decides he wants to break their self-imposed rule of not meeting in person, tragedy strikes and turns everything upside down...

Well, this book sure is awesome!

I honestly didn't expect to like this story as much as I did because I'd heard a little about the toxicity, and I don't usually like toxic assholes. But there was a lot more to Misha than being a total douche. The guy's dealing with a personal tragedy, and is still mourning a loss that made him so angry at the world that he took it out on those closest to him: friends, Ryen, his dad.

This is a peculiar tale because it's friends to lovers, but also enemies to lovers. It's also a contemporary YA crossed with NA about two young people who are trying their best to survive while prepping for the future. It's hard to condense all the inner workings of the relationship between Misha and Ryen because there's a lot going on. And I mean a LOT.

I really enjoyed the characterisation of the two main characters. Sure, there are a few tropey/cardboardish characters—Lyla and Trey, I'm looking at you—but because they were mostly bully background noise, it didn't really matter. Misha is one of those characters who acts the opposite to how he feels, and that can be frustrating at times. But then again, Ryen is the kind of person who acts like she belongs with the popular bullies, which is at odds with who she really is.

I think both of these characters have a great character arc that is fun, interesting, and even heartbreaking.

And another thing, this book is raunchy. Yikes! The chemistry between these two is:🔥! I also didn't expect the final Misha twist at the end. 😫

Anyway, I loved this!


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