When We Were Vikings by Andrew David MacDonald

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

What cute, cute, cute, coming-of-age story. 

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Zelda is our protagonist. She is driven, outspoken, kind and so, so smart. She lives with her older brother, Gert, who struggles financially, and as we will see, goes to extravagant lengths to keep them afloat. She likes rules, rules keep things neat, organized and running smoothly. She has a healthy fixation on Old Norse culture and lore. So much so, that Gert surprises her with a Viking Impersonator for her birthday. There is one more thing that sets her apart from everyone else. She was born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. An irreversible brain condition caused by exposure to alcohol while in the womb.

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She has a specific routine each week, and when it suddenly gets interrupted by a visit to a run down house of sketchy strangers, things start to spiral pretty quickly. 

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The story about sibling love, forgiveness, patience and persistence will make you laugh, mostly, but also, worry. You will get angry and your eyes will get a bit misty. The characters are likable, funny and real... The good characters, at least. The antagonists, not so much, obviously. 

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I do wish that there was more research done on the Norse culture for the writing of this novel. Some "facts" were filled with common misconceptions and a dash of stereotyping. The plot was cute enough for me to spare the nitty-gritty details, though 🙂. 

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

⭐⭐/5
OKAY, first of all, I want to say that I love dystopian novels. Dystopian is one of my favorite genres. But all that comes with dystopian is a lack of original material. It's always a post-apocalyptic disaster or a tyrannical government, right? Then a single hero or heroine that has "just had enough!" They stand up to said government! Go, fight, win! But... If Pierce Brown REALLY wanted to be a dick, he could TOTALLY have grounds to sue Red Queen for copyright infringement on Red Rising.

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I usually decide on my next read based on Goodreads ratings. Red Queen is sitting at a comfortable 4/5. I figured, "Meh! Why not?" Seemed interesting.
It was not AWFUL. Just... Sounded very familiar.
It is a watered down version of Red Rising.

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You have two houses, the reds and the silvers... like the reds and the... golds?
The reds are low class, and used as purely cruel entertainment and laboring for the snooty, royalty of the silvers. The silvers have "special abilities", alternatively, "evolutions." They use these to destroy reds at their most vulnerable. Case in point, the gladiator-esque executions.

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Anyone can be called to war to fund the silver regime. Which is the case for Mare, our main character. Our "heroine." She gets called to work right under the High Silvers' nose. And guess what? She's miraculously has powers, too! Whaaaaat?? OMGeeeeeeeeee!

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They start to groom her to be a princess to the crown. She revolts. Traitors are unmasked. She escapes. She gets mad and must have REVENGE. Yada, yada, yada.

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The end.
Wah, Wah, Wahhhhhh.
Definitely not catching that 4/5 hype. AND it was quite boring. Anyway, on to the next...

Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Such a cute romance for the lgbtq+ community. It was very enjoyable, quirky, funny and sensual. I loved Alex and Henry's banter and relationship. There is a lot of likable characters which makes for a fun party! Modern communication references, film and tv references, dogs, the whole lot!

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Alex is the son of current, democratic, female President of the United States. Who is running for reelection soon, so it is, of course, imperative for everything to go according to plan and down to the exact letter, including NDAs on EVERY move him and the first family makes. 

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Henry is a British Prince heir. Closeted by the conservative standards of the British royal community. 

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Alex and the first family travel to the UK for a royal wedding. He meets Henry by accidently pushing him into the wedding cake. Which attracts media attention instantly, going off the rails about an international crisis in the making. The two families decide to eradicate the unfortunate incident, is to force them to spend a lot of time together, mend fences, become best friends. They have much trouble at first, insult after insult. But the more time they spend together the more the insults start to become playful teasing. 

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At a fancy-shmancy party, they walk off together and Henry plants a kiss on Alex. Alex struggles with his sexuality for a hot minute, then realizes events in his past leads him to accept he has been Bi-sexual all along. 

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And as the typical Rom-Com goes: they delve into this secret love affair. Things go... Left and Right... Heh. Get it? Nevermind. Twist and turns abound and they have to see if they can overcome the stigma and intolerance of same-sex relationships in a very public, influential and political enviroment. Will they get their happily, ever after? 

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I loved it. The only reason I gave this a 4/5 is because of the typical layout of predictible events in most Rom-Coms. But it was still very enjoyable. 

Thief River Falls by Brian Freeman

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

I loved Thief River falls! It was intense and moving. The ending was a tad predictable but not so bad to stop me from reading. The protagonist was relatable, likable and strong. 

🔺Spoilers Ahead🔺

It starts with an excerpt of Thief River Falls, a thriller of author Lisa Power. A disturbing scene of a small boy, seemingly unconscious to the men burying him in a gravesite on a rainy night.  He's seen too much of something and must be taken care of.  But he's not dead. He waits for the strangers to leave. Then weakly digs his way out, gasping at the surface for fresh air. 

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Lisa wakes up with a start, just in time to make her appearance at book club her novel is featured, via video-call. She connects the call, answers all her fans' questions. Hesitates and dodges some unnecessary personal questions. When she asks for any final questions the husband of the host to the book club steps in, "I have a question. I was wanted to know if you have ever been afraid that someone will bring your books to life."

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She woke up that night, dreaming someone was at her door. But then she heard the actual pounding of her front door. She checks the door and finds a boy hiding on her front patio. A young boy, drenched from the night rain, dirty, freezing and scared. 

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The boy refuses to give Lisa his name. She nicknames him "Purdue," after the boy in her thriller. She goes throughout the book dodging all the obstacles of Purdue being caught, killed. 

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Finally, they both reach the tracks, of a train that will take Purdue to Canada. To start a free, happy, loving life. However, they are surrounded by law enforcement so only one can go, while the other is a decoy. 

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The books' twists and turns were exciting and in all of its' finality: touching. Those who read it will understand me when I say that it is also very important to what is missing in our current culture. And that's all I have to say, without COMPLETELY spoiling the ending. 

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A story about love, loss, forgiveness, perseverance, strength and bravery. A definite quality addition to your bookshelf. 

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
I loved this one! From start to finish. The absolute, pure, loving, real, hilarious relationship Elsa has with Granny gives me life.
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We have this incredibly well-read 7 year old, Elsa. She is fierce, independent, and raw. She has read all the Harry Potter books SEVERAL times. She is emphatically, grammatically correct. Her Granny is her superhero, she is witty, sly, mischievous, loud, eccentric and passionate. Elsa loves her mom, Ulrika, but she is "everything that Granny is not." She's structured, organized, tactful, patient, which makes it hard for Granny and Mom to agree on anything.
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Granny has created this mythical, fairy-tale world that Elsa has fully submerged herself into. A beautiful way to understand the things in life that are typically difficult to comprehend. Especially for a 7 year old.
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It's no secret that this feisty Granny, gets cancer and passes away very early in the book. She leaves Elsa to go on a grand adventure. A "treasure hunt." Granny has letters addressed to everyone she knew. Apologizing to them for all the petty annoyances and nasty things she did and said to them.
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A cute coming of age story for a very extraordinary "almost 8 year old." Elsa discovers the past of her Granny and learns how to move on toward a happy future.

The Speed of Falling Objects by Nancy Richardson Fischer

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

It was a little slow building, which is hard for me to stick to. If a book doesn't capture my attention in the first couple chapters, It's more than likely going to end up on my DNF (did not finish) shelf. CALL ME A MILLENNIAL! Whatever. 😉 I have a small attention span. 

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But as it continued, it did get better. 

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It starts out with young Danny, or Danger "Danny" Danielle Warren. A young girl, about to be 17, living with her single mom. She has a very little to no relationship with her famous, TV-Survivalist father, Cougar, an unlikable character. When he invites her to join him on his next TV adventure, she hesitantly accepts, in hopes this will ignite the relationship she has been searching for. 

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Things don't go as planned, of course, and the plane crashes in the middle of an unknown jungle. Tragedies happen, poisonous crawlers are encountered, and a little touch of romance with one of the other passengers. However, she soon realizes that her father is not exactly who she thought him to be. She then has to decide if she wants anything to do with him after they leave this place... IF they leave this place. 

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Without going into any spoilers, I thought it was a breath of fresh air... (Ha. Get it?) It's a YA book that doesn't focus on a PLETHORA of teenage angst, breaking a nail, romantic drama or vampire infatuations 🙄. It was much more important than that. It was about her desperate longing to get to know her dad, and learning that sometimes things are better left unknown. Having my own daddy issues, I sympathized with Danny in many areas.

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Thank you, Nancy for this giveaway! I did enjoy it! 😊