Review: That Night - Amy Giles - October 2018 There's something about young adult fiction that doesn't shy away from the hard stuff that always draws me in. Give me a story that tackles grief, trauma, or those impossible questions we all wrestle with, and I'm there. That Night by Amy Giles landed on my radar because it does exactly that, it sits with the uncomfortable reality of mass shootings and asks: what comes after? The story follows Jess and Lucas, two teenagers forever changed by the Balcony shooting in their Queens neighborhood. Both lost siblings that night. Both survived when others didn't. And both are drowning in the aftermath in their own ways , Jess trying to hold her depressed mother together while her own grief threatens to swallow her whole, and Lucas channeling everything into boxing while his parents hover, terrified of losing him too. When they end up working together at Bruno's Hardware, something shifts. Their shared trauma becomes a bridge r...

Review: Forget Me Not - Leah Cupps - December 2025 There's something deeply personal about discovering an author whose work consistently delivers, only to find yourself standing at a crossroads with their latest release—torn between loyalty and honest reaction. That's exactly where I found myself with Leah Cupps's Forget Me Not. I've devoured quite a few of Leah Cupps's psychological thrillers, so when Zooloos Book Tours offered an advance copy, I didn't hesitate. My excitement doubled when I cracked open the first pages and discovered the story centered on archaeology , a subject that feels like home to me. Growing up, my house was split between my dad's Indiana Jones marathons and my mum's obsession with The Mummy and National Treasure. Adventure, ancient mysteries, and a dash of danger? That's my comfort zone. Forget Me Not opens with Meredith's death, then jumps six months forward to Riley Donovan a woman drowning in grief. She's lost h...

Review: Pieces of Me - Shaun Allan - July 2025 Poetry rarely finds its way onto my reading list. As someone who typically gravitates toward the thrillers and family sagas that populate my usual Zooloos Book Tours selections—stories brimming with romance and suspense—I approached Shaun Allan's Pieces of Me with curiosity rather than expectation. What I discovered was something profoundly different from my comfort zone, yet deeply necessary. Having lost my mother almost twelve years ago this December, when I was just twenty-seven, I found myself unexpectedly confronted by familiar echoes of grief . Shaun Allan's words became a mirror, reflecting experiences I recognized. Poetry, Shaun Allan demonstrates, transcends mere wordplay. It becomes emotion given tangible form—a sacred space where grief, hope, love, and uncertainty don't just coexist but dance together in harmony. Throughout this collection, we traverse the shadowy depths of mortality, loss, and mental health struggl...

Review: Like a Mother - Mina Hardy - February 2024 After being made redundant, I found myself reaching for thrillers instead of my usual romance novels—somehow happy endings felt too distant during this uncertain chapter of my life. That's when I discovered Like a Mother by Mina Hardy (a pen name for Megan Hart), and it became exactly the kind of gripping distraction I needed. The story follows Sarah, who thought she knew her husband Adam completely until his sudden death shattered not just her heart, but her entire understanding of their life together. As a newly widowed single mother expecting their second child, Sarah faces an immediate crisis when Adam's business partners reveal he changed his will, leaving her financially strapped. Even worse, they're questioning her guardianship of daughter Ellie and want to adopt her unborn baby, claiming it was Adam's dying wish. Enter Adam's previously unknown mother, offering Sarah what seems like salvation—a fresh star...

Review: (in)visible - Talie D. Hawkins - 1 January 2015 As a reader, one of the things I love to do is discover books that are hidden gems and share them with others, these are the books that aren't popular in bookstores and are ones that not many readers would have heard of. (in)visible by Talie D Hawkins was one of those books that gave me Matilda vibes at the end. For years, after her brother Noah died Megan managed to stay invisible as her parents had disconnected from each other, and she kept her head down and went about school with the goal in mind, that as soon as she graduated she could get out of this small town and the memories it holds and not look back. That changed though when one night just before graduation, Megan is approached by someone from her past - he is the boy she thought she would love forever but after her brother Noah died they went their separate ways. If that wasn't enough, she has also captured the attention of Jake who has been her classmate since ...

Review: Cruel Devil - Book #3 Devils of Sun Valley High Series - Daniela Romero - May 2021 As an avid reader, it’s easy for books to get lost in the shuffle—until one forgotten gem jumps out at you. That’s exactly what happened with Cruel Devil, part of Daniela Romero’s Devils of Sun Valley High series. Having enjoyed the previous books and several of Romero’s other series, I dived into this one and wasn’t disappointed.  Cruel Devil is a frenemies-to-lovers romance that toes the line between hate and love, telling the tumultuous story of Dominique “Dom” Price and Kasey “Baby” Henderson. Dom, a close friend of Kasey’s brother Aaron, shares a volatile dynamic with Kasey—one that shifts dramatically when tragedy strikes. In her grief, Kasey finds comfort and an emotional release with Dom, sparking a passionate yet complicated connection. Their relationship, built on raw emotion and physical attraction, faces its ultimate test when Aaron returns, and the boundaries between friends-wit...

Review: The Night the Stars Went Dark - H. D'Agostino - August 2024 I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, but first, can I tell you how beautifully eerie this cover is? It also sums up the story perfectly. This is also a book that reads quickly and was a very clean romance at the same time, where you have hints of it -but this book isn't a romance story. This is a book about growth and overcoming grief, but in the same way, this book wasn't a heartwrenching one. You felt the sadness that the main female went through but at the same time, it did not need you to ugly cry.  Honestly, this book was one of the most beautifully written novels I have read but at the same time, it was just such a simple story and not very complex. It was one of those books that reached you but didn't have the feel or need to go deeper into the surface or for the author to use emotive language. You just know and feel it with each page. Our main female was a music prodigy but suffered ...

Title: The Night the Stars Went Dark Author: H. D’Agostino Genre: Contemporary New Adult Romance Tropes: Friends to Lovers/Grief Release Date: August 12, 2024 BLURB As the only child of world-famous pianist, Julian Vaughn, I was born into music. It wasn’t just what I did, it was it who I was. I began taking lessons at the tender of six. I was raised to follow in my father’s legacy. It wasn’t just that I wanted to be the best, it was expected. I went to all the best schools, trained with the best teachers, and spent my summers at special camps. I was right on the cusp of graduating college with all my dreams coming true, when tragedy struck. Grief caused me to give it all up and silence my talent… until he came into town. The boy I knew from years ago remembered the girl I used to be and was determined to help me find her… only I wasn’t sure I wanted him to. Could I go back and love the one thing that made me remember? ADD TO GOODREADS PURCHASE LINKS AMAZON  US  / ...

Review: Hannah and Huia - Charlotte Lobb - July 2023 Hannah and Huia has been sitting on my shelf for a while now, almost a year and I decided to finally read it as May is not only Clear Your TBR Bookshelf Challenge Month but also Mental Health Month. The other reason I brought this book was that I had a personal connection to the author as her family was one of my regular customers when I worked in the libraries and I was interested to read what she wrote WOW, Hannah and Huia exceeded my expectations and was such a great story and in it, I felt for both characters as their experiences resonated with some of my families own. The book starts with Hannah experiencing the great loss of both her husband and newborn, so much so that she checks herself into the psych ward to get help. While there she is captivated by an old Maori woman named Huia - who only speaks three words at a time and never the same set of words twice. That is until Hannah arrives and hears the same three words multiple...