Tag: Monthly Wrap-Up (Page 6 of 9)

 

During our Monthly Wrap-Up, we’ll take a look at what has happened around here in the last month. That’ll include what’s happened in my life, what the four of us have read, any other posts we may have had, giveaways still going on, our most popular Instagram posts, and books that I’ve added to my ever-growing TBR.

*We linked this post to the October Monthly Wrap-Up Round-Up Link-Up at Feed Your Fiction Addiction*

♥ Enjoy!

Jen’s Life:

Some of my highlights from October were –

✮ We went to Disneyland for fall break!  It was the first time my two little boys had ever been to Disneyland and we also went with my Mom and Aunt.  It was the most amazing time ever and I’m already counting down until our next time.  We spent a full day at Disneyland.  Then the next day at Disneyland California Adventure Park and then the third day going back on all of our favorite rides at both parks.  It was the perfect amount of time and I still can’t believe how much we walked….close to 10 miles each day.  Here’s a hilarious picture of us on Splash Mountain here and here’s one of us after we ate at Flo’s Cafe (Cars Land) here.
✮ We saw the Blue Angels perform and they were breathtaking!  My two little boys even got to meet all of the pilots after the show and get their autographs.  I’m so beyond thankful for that day!
✮ Halloween!  I adore everything Halloween!  Usually we dress up as a family every year.  You can see our costumes from last year here.  But this year I was sick, so only my kiddos dressed up.  My boys dressed up as Mario from Mario Brothers.  Yes, they were both Mario, there was not a Luigi lol.  And my four legged kiddos dressed up as Superdog and Hotdog.  You can see my little doggies picture here.

 

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What Arielle, Cassie, Chelsea & Jen Read:

5 Stars:
✮ Dirty Exes (Liars, Inc. #1) by Rachel Van Dyken
✮ Strange the Dreamer (Strange the Dreamer #1) by Laini Taylor
✮ My Favorite Half-Night Stand by Christina Lauren
✮ 99 Percent Mine by Sally Thorne
✮ Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass #5) by Sarah J Maas
✮ Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) by Sarah J Maas
✮ Oblivion (Lux #1.5) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
✮ My Favorite Half-Night Stand by Christina Lauren
✮The Diviners (The Diviners #1) by Libba Bray
✮ The Darkest Star (Origin #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
✮ Lair of Dreams (The Diviners #2) by Libba Bray

4 Stars:
✮ Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren
✮ If the Summer Lasted Forever by Shari L. Tapscott
✮ The Unbelievable, Inconceivable, Unforeseeable Truth About Ethan Wilder by Cookie O’Gorman

3 Stars:
✮ Losing the Field (The Field Party #4) by Abbi Glines

 

 

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Our Favorite Books of the Month:

 The Darkest Star (Origin #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout (Jen’s Choice)
You guys, Luc was the ultimate book boyfriend.  While I never ever thought I would say this, because Daemon has been my #1 bbf for the last four years, Luc not only challenged him but he has grabbed first place.  I feel so disloyal saying that, but Luc was beyond amazing. And I can see countless others falling for his charm too.

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Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) by Sarah J Maas (Arielle’s Choice)
Basically this book was just…soo good. All of the new things we learned too. You CAN’T skip this. No way. Like I got to the end and all I could think about was how much Maas has grown as a writer. There was nothing about this book that I didn’t like. And I loved what she added to the overall scheme of how the war will play out too, omg.

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99 Percent Mine by Sally Thorne (Cassie’s Choice)
All hail Sally Thorne! She, along with Marianne Zapata, have made me come to appreciate well-written modern romances. For a girl that loves her dystopian and thrillers, this is a big switch in my normal reading habits. I was gifted “The Hating Game” by Chelsea for Valentine’s Day and I absolutely loved it. So much that I’ve read it a few times now. So when I found out Sally had another book coming out, I had to get my hands on it.

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 Lair of Dreams (The Diviners #2) by Libba Bray (Chelsea’s Choice)
Annnnnd the hype is officially real. It’s not often I love a book as much as I did the first, but, here, I was a goner. At the beginning I was like eh, okay, LET’S GET TO SAM AND EVIE AND JERICHO AND WHAT’S UP WITH THAT DRAMA AGHHH BRING IT ON. But then, as the story progressed, I just…I died a little. All of a sudden I didn’t want to rush through everything (well…maybe the scary-more on that later) and I cared so deeply about dear Henry and even Ling, that you couldn’t pay me to put it down.
**Runner Up** – The Diviners (The Diviners #1) by Libba Bray

 

 

During our Monthly Wrap-Up, we’ll take a look at what has happened around here in the last month. That’ll include what’s happened in my life, what the four of us have read, any other posts we may have had, giveaways still going on, our most popular Instagram posts, and books that I’ve added to my ever-growing TBR.

*We linked this post to the September Monthly Wrap-Up Round-Up Link-Up at Feed Your Fiction Addiction*

♥ Enjoy!

Jen’s Life:

Some of my highlights from September were –

✮ My bestie had her baby girl!  She is the sweetest little thing ever and I’m so grateful I get to be in her life. ♥  Here’s pictures of me meeting her here.
✮ It is pumpkin spice season!  While summer is technically my favorite season, fall is my favorite food season ha!  One of my friends gave me this cute little sign after I went and bought every single pumpkin spice item they had at Trader Joe’s and I had to share it here.  I also have a baking list a mile long of all the new and old favorite pumpkin recipes I have to make!
✮ I’m missing our days at the beach, so while I was reminiscing I posted a picture from our August vacation to Southern California here.

 

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What Arielle, Cassie, Chelsea & Jen Read:

5 Stars:
✮ REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: Superhero High by T.H. Hernandez
✮ BOOK REVIEW: Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren
✮ BOOK REVIEW: The Darkest Minds (The Darkest Minds #1) by Alexandra Bracken
✮ REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: Hot Winter Nights (Heartbreaker Bay #6) by Jill Shalvis
✮ BOOK REVIEW: In the Afterlight (The Darkest Minds #3) by Alexandra Bracken
✮BOOK REVIEW: You (You #1) by Caroline Kepnes

4 Stars:
✮ BLOG TOUR + AUTHOR INTERVIEW + REVIEW: Sadie by Courtney Summers
✮ REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: Keeper of the Bees (Black Birds of the Gallows) by Meg Kassel
✮ BOOK REVIEW: Sadie by Courtney Summers
✮ BOOK REVIEW: 99 Days by Katie Cotugno

3.5 Stars:
✮ BOOK REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: Jaclyn and the Beanstalk by Mary Ting

 

 

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Our Favorite Books of the Month:

 Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren (Arielle’s Choice)
AHHHHHH I LOVED THIS SO MUCH. Seriously by now I have come to the conclusion that these two literally cannot write a book that I will not like. They just keep getting better and better and at this very moment I can’t decide which one is my favorite between this and Love and Other Words. Either way it doesn’t really matter. You really should go out and read every single one of their books because I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.

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99 Days by Katie Cotugno (Cassie’s Choice)
Here’s the thing, I really liked this book. I liked Molly, the protagonist of the book. With that said, Molly makes a lot of dumb mistakes in the book. She is far from perfect. Even when she thinks she’s learned from a past mistake, she makes it again. This is frustrating from a reader’s perspective, but how many of us have done the same thing or have a friend who makes the same stupid mistake again and again?

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You (You #1) by Caroline Kepnes (Chelsea’s Choice)
But that’s also the beauty of this book: It shows how we are all morally gray people, and that even though we don’t think we’re into ourselves, above all else, we are. We put us first, and if we stomp on someone along the way, will we even notice? Who cares? It was just some dude I saw somewhere, what does it matter? Apparently a lot, to some. *shivers*

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Hot Winter Nights (Heartbreaker Bay #6) by Jill Shalvis (Jen’s Choice)
Through it all I kept finding myself smiling, sighing, laughing and clutching my heart.  Not to mention there were a few scenes that had me screaming while giggling and others where I found myself with tears in my eyes.  This book put me through the emotional wringer.

 

 

During our Monthly Wrap-Up, we’ll take a look at what has happened around here in the last month. That’ll include what’s happened in my life, what the four of us have read, any other posts we may have had, giveaways still going on, our most popular Instagram posts, and books that I’ve added to my ever-growing TBR.

*We linked this post to the August Monthly Wrap-Up Round-Up Link-Up at Feed Your Fiction Addiction*

♥ Enjoy!

Jen’s Life:

Some of my highlights from August were –

✮ The smoke from all of the California fires has been suffocating us.  With the air quality reaching 400 out of 500, and spending weeks on and off being trapped in our home, we decided to escape to Southern California for 9 days.  We spent time with family at the beaches in Orange County and also visited my high school friend in Del Mar….a super cute little town north of San Diego.  Our days were filled with surfing, boogie boarding and playing in the sand at the ocean.  We even went to Lego Land for two days and had so much fun between the park, aquarium and water park.  It was exactly what we needed and we weren’t ready to head back home into the smoke.  You can check out some of my pictures from our vacation here – picture 1, picture 2.
✮ I threw my bestie a baby shower!  She’s the one I have to give weekly shots to so that way she can make it to 35 weeks for her pregnancy, which she did this last Monday.  Now it’s just a matter of days before I get to meet their baby girl.  Here’s two pictures from the shower.
✮ My kiddos started school this month, my oldest is now in 2nd grade and my youngest started Kindergarten.  I loved school as a child, but as an adult I’m definitely not a fan, although they don’t know that lol.  I miss my kiddos, I love our days together in the summer!  We spent our summer days at the beach, pool, park and in our backyard playing together.  I can’t wait until they get out of school and I’m always looking forward to the weekends!

 

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What Arielle, Cassie, Chelsea & Jen Read:

5 Stars:
✮ Wicked (A Wicked Trilogy #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
✮ The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air #1) by Holly Black
✮ The Prince by Jennifer L. Armentrout
✮ The Darkest Legacy (The Darkest Minds #4) by Alexandra Bracken
✮ Seafire (Seafire #1) by Natalie C. Parker
✮ The Sweetest Oblivion (Made #1) by Danielle Lori

4.5 Stars:
✮ A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir (An Ember in the Ashes #3)

4 Stars:
✮ Cradled (Beholder #4.5) by Christina Bauer
✮ The Chase (Briar U #1) by Elle Kennedy
✮ All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill

3 Stars:
✮ War Storm (Red Queen #4) by Victoria Aveyard

 

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Our Favorite Books of the Month:

The Darkest Legacy (The Darkest Minds #4) by Alexandra Bracken  (Arielle’s Choice)
Once I started, I was COMPLETELY hooked. See, that’s the thing about these books and Bracken’s writing. I become so immersed that I have to drag my eyes away from the writing and when I do, it takes me a few seconds to come back to the real world. That’s when you know you’re reading something amazing. This book gave me the butterflies, it made me shake with rage, and it made me buzz with anticipation.

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A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir (An Ember in the Ashes #3) (Cassie’s Choice)
I love them. I totally get why everyone loves this series. It’s so good. It’s dark, like really dark, but so good nonetheless.

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The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air #1) by Holly Black (Chelsea’s Choice)
For me, a little peril, a forbidden romance, some cruelty and smexy I-hate-you-but-let’s-make-out is all I really need-BAHA! I mean, what more could I possibly ask for?

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The Prince by Jennifer L. Armentrout  (Jen’s Choice)
It was a page turner, had a sigh worthy male, a heroine I loved, an addicting storyline, and by just that second chapter I found myself bawling my eyes out.  Between the tears, smiles and laughter, my emotions were all over the place.

 

 

During our Monthly Wrap-Up, we’ll take a look at what has happened around here in the last month. That’ll include what’s happened in my life, what the four of us have read, any other posts we may have had, giveaways still going on, our most popular Instagram posts, books that I’ve added to my ever-growing TBR and updates on my Reading Challenges.

*We linked this post to the July Monthly Wrap-Up Round-Up Link-Up at Feed Your Fiction Addiction*

♥ Enjoy!

Jen’s Life:

Some of my highlights from July were –

✮ We spent the 4th of July with all of my family at our house and then headed to the beach to watch the fireworks.  I’ve been to 11 different firework shows in 5 different states and Lake Tahoe is still hands down the best I’ve ever seen!  Here are some of our pictures from that night picture 1 and picture 2.
✮ I went back to California for my High School Reunion.  This is a picture of some of us from a few years ago.  And here’s one of the few group shots we got from that night.  And of course it’s from the after party at the local bar lol!  It was such an amazing time!  I’m from a small little town and we all went from Kindergarten up to High School together.  It was like one huge group of friends getting back together and I loved every minute of it!
✮ Our oldest dog turned 12 years old.  She is the sweetest little thing ever and we still call her our first born. ♥
✮ We took our 7 year old go-kart racing, spent countless days at the beach and also at the pool, went to music in the park in our little town, went to a wonderful bbq with live music with my Grandma, I saw Luke Bryan in concert and we had a lot of family dinners with all my family that lives near by.  It was a wonderful but crazy busy month!

 

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What Arielle, Chelsea & Jen Read:

5 Stars:
✮ In Harmony by Emma Scott
✮ The Supervillain and Me (Morriston Superheroes #1) by Danielle Banas
✮ Under Locke by Mariana Zapata
✮ Superhero High by T.H. Hernandez
✮ Addicted After All (Addicted #3) by Krista and Becca Ritchie

4.5 Stars:
✮ Addicted for Now (Addicted #2) by Krista and Becca Ritchie

4 Stars:
✮ Alpha (The Infinity Division #3) by Jus Accardo
✮ Addicted to You (Addicted #1) by Krista and Becca Ritchie
✮ The Last Summer of the Garrett Girls by Jessica Spotswood
✮ Firstlife (Everlife #1) by Gena Showalter
✮ I Think I Love You (Oxford #5) by Lauren Layne
✮ Girls’ Night Out by Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke
✮ Over Raging Tides (Lady Pirates #1) by Jennifer Ellision
✮ Furyborn (Empirium #1) by Claire Legrand

3.5 Stars:
✮ Nowhere Else But Here by Rachel Cotton

3 Stars:
✮ After Nightfall by A.J. Banner

 

 

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Our Favorite Books of the Month:

Addicted After All (Addicted #3) by Krista and Becca Ritchie (Arielle’s Choice)
What a ride this series has been. It has been so fun re-reading these books again after having read about their children in the About Us series.  While you could read those separately, and even the Calloway Sisters series separately, it makes more of an impact if you had started at the very beginning with Lily and Lo.

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In Harmony by Emma Scott (Cassie’s Choice)
If you’re looking for a slow-burn YA contemp romance, you have come to the right place. Because there is a lot both Isaac and Willow have to deal with in their personal lives, as well as their feelings for each other. I really appreciated nothing being rushed and the small moments and interactions as they got to know one another. It honestly felt so real and natural, which is exactly what I love.

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Under Locke by Mariana Zapata (Chelsea’s Choice)
That moment when you know an author has changed your life forever….it’s this one. This moment.

 

 

 

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Superhero High by T.H. Hernandez (Jen’s Choice)
I got completely wrapped up in the characters lives and lost in the pages.  Bullying, first love, friendships, finding yourself and mystery was splashed across the pages.  And that made this book emotional, sigh worthy, and I fell in love with so many of the characters.

 

 

During our Monthly Wrap-Up, we’ll take a look at what has happened around here in the last month. That’ll include what’s happened in my life, what the four of us have read, any other posts we may have had, giveaways still going on, our most popular Instagram posts, books that I’ve added to my ever-growing TBR and updates on my Reading Challenges.

*We linked this post to June Monthly Wrap-Up Round-Up Link-Up at Feed Your Fiction Addiction*

♥ Enjoy!

Jen’s Life:

Some of my highlights from June were –

✮ School is out and summer is here.  It’s my favorite time of the year!  My kiddos and I, along with a group of my mommy friends and their kiddos, go to the beach a few days a week and then the local pool once a week.  Being out doors is our favorite way to spend summer.  Here are two pictures of some of my favorite beaches that we go to.  Beach #1 and Beach #2.
✮ It was the birthday of where we live, so our town celebrated with a huge parade and then a carnival.  My oldest, who is 7, was braver than me and went on all the rides he was tall enough for like Extreme Scream….a ride that takes you up high and then drops you.  No thank you.  I was scared enough on the Ferris Wheel, my 5 year old was telling me to be brave lol, and the swings I kept closing my eyes and my oldest was saying open your eyes mommy this is fun!  At least I have a year before we have to go on all of the rides again lol!

 

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What Arielle, Chelsea & Jen Read:

5 Stars:
✮ To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo
✮ Trick (Foolish Kingdoms #1) by Natalia Jaster
✮ Alphas Like Us (Like Us #3) by Krista and Becca Ritchie
✮ Sugar and Spice (Glitter and Sparkle #3) by Shari L. Tapscott
✮ War Storm (Red Queen #4) by Victoria Aveyard

4.5 Stars:
✮ Bring Me Their Hearts by Sara Wolf
✮ A Boy Like You (Like Us #1) by Ginger Scott
✮ Moonlight Sins (de Vincent #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
✮ A Reaper at the Gates (An Ember in the Ashes #3) by Sabaa Tahir
✮ Moonlight Seduction (de Vincent #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
✮ Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman

4 Stars:
✮ The Bet (The Bet #1) by Rachel Van Dyken

3.5 Stars:
✮ All of This is True by Lygia Day Penaflor

3 Stars:
✮ Brightly Burning by Alexa Donne

 

 

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Our Favorite Books of the Month:

 Alphas Like Us (Like Us #3) by Krista and Becca Ritchie (Arielle’s Choice)
I think this is my favorite book in this series.  I recommend, recommend, recommend. Read them all from the very beginning if you haven’t already. They may not all be easy to read (especially Loren and Lily’s books) but to me, it’s so worth it.

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Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman  (Cassie’s Choice)
This book blew my out of the water. Haha, see what I did there?  The writing style is near perfection. Without being overly descriptive and wordy, the author clearly paints an image of everything we (the reader) sees.

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To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo (Chelsea’s Choice)
Guys. I adored this book. And the writing-it was seriously out of this world. Savage. Unrelenting-the most vicious kind of poetry. If I could write, and, believe me, the last few books I’ve read have made me pine for it so, this is exactly how I’d want to write.

 

 

 

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Sugar and Spice (Glitter and Sparkle #3) by Shari L. Tapscott (Jen’s Choice)
Sugar and Spice made me laugh, smile and fall hopelessly in love with these characters.  And when I closed the book, I was left wanting to spin circles with my arms out and smiling up at the sun.  Seriously. It was that adorable!

 

 

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Other Posts:

✮ Our Most Anticipated Releases For June
✮ TOP TEN TUESDAY – Books We Decided to DNF
✮ Welcome Post: Say hello to my dearest friend, Cassie!
✮ TOP TEN TUESDAY – Books On Our Summer TBR

 

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Instagram:

We thought it would be fun to share Chelsea & Jen’s most popular posts for June.  And they are….

A post shared by Star-Crossed Book Blog (@starcrossedbookblog) on Jun 5, 2018 at 10:00am PDT

A post shared by Star-Crossed Book Blog (@starcrossedbookblog) on Jun 17, 2018 at 9:56am PDT

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Books Added To Jen’s TBR This Month:

I’m contemplating going to a book signing in San Francisco next year.  So a lot of the books I added to my TBR are from authors that will be attending the event. 🙂

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Reading Challenges:

This is the first year I’ve EVER joined a Reading Challenge. I went through Nicole’s huge list of reading challenges – check it out here – and found three that sounded absolutely perfect for me. Here’s where I am so far….

Contemporary Romance Reading Challenge
Status: 17
Goal: 16-20

           

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Beat The Backlist
Team Book Bard!
Status: 13
Goal: 15-20

     

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Library Love Challenge
Status: 0
Goal: 12 books

I tried some books this month and ended up stopping, they just weren’t for me.

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So that was our June. Did you read any of the same books that we did? Or share the same favorite book as us? If not, then what was your favorite book? Or have you read any of the books I just added to my TBR?

Here’s hoping you all had a wonderful June too. And cheers to July being fabulous for all of us!