The Reading Hideaway

    *I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.* Spells Trouble instantly made me think of the Disney Channel Original Movie, Twitches (ya know, twin witches saving the world and all), Men in Black and Sabrina the Teenage Witch.  The concept was there with Hunter and Mercy being tasked to save the trees that also act as gateways to various Underworlds, but I felt like it wasn't fleshed out completely.  Maybe that's because this is book one of the series..?  I'm not sure, but it had potential. I felt like the writing was at a middle-school level; however, there was a (unnecessary) detailed sex scene that would be appropriate for older YA readers.  I say unnecessary because I felt like the Mercy/Kirk relationship story line was a side thought or a filler episode that wasn't needed.  I didn't find it to strengthen the plot at all.  An additional side story involved Emily, Mercy's best friend, and that one also threw me for a loop.  Along

  *I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.* The first book I read by Nicola Yoon was Everything, Everything .  I mean, I had to read it before I saw the movie (I have yet to see the movie).  Besides the point - it tugged at my heart strings, was impossible for me to put down, and made me cry and want to throw the book across the room because "HOW COULD SHE DO THAT?" Instructions for Dancing was no different. I'm obsessed.  I love Yoon's writing style, I love her character development, I love how this plot was partly inspired by the movie "Big" (and is even mentioned in Evie's story), I love how there was a ballroom dance competition involved.  I'm serious... I'm obsessed. I related to Evie as I'm not really a "romantic".  I despise Valentine's Day, I make comments about couples PDA and dating..?  Don't even get me started.  Ironically, I happened to be reading this book at the perfect time in m

*I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.* Both the cover and the title of Kisses & Croissants caught my attention, but as I read Mia's story, I found it hard to keep my attention.  Mia is an aspiring ballerina in high school who has the opportunity of a lifetime to study ballet in Paris (*cue Hilary Duff singing "This Is What Dreams Are Made Of").  She just so happens to be accompanied by a classmate named Aubrey who she finds hard to get along with - only to get to the ballet academy and find out their roommates.  Then, if you couldn't guess by the title, Mia finds herself swept off her feet by a French boy named Louis.  Ballet or boy?  Which will she choose? That's not the only plot line, though.   On top of being torn between chasing her dream or chasing a boy, Mia is determined to learn more about her family history to see if ballet truly is in her blood by searching one art museum after another to see if a famous artist did